John Novak (middle) with Ralph Shinn (left) and Roger Janssen (right) during Novak’s first month of work. Photo submitted.

A longtime face on the Traer Street Dept will retire after 33 years as John Novak will work his late shift as winter winds down in Traer.

Novak began his career with the Street Department on December 2 of 1985. Before working in Traer, Novak was employed at a trucking firm in Waterloo. Over the years, Novak has plowed snow, maintained the roads, swept streets and keeping the the airport clean. From floods to street repair, Novak has seen a lot over the course of his career.

“I’ve enjoyed working with people over the years,” Novak said. “In the street department, there’s a lot of criticisms, but I feel appreciated here and the compliments are wonderful. Watching Prairie West was interesting and there’s been a lot of memories over the year. “The citizens here are community minded. When I first started, a lot of people still worked in Traer and times have changed. Time marches on and so am I.”

Novak and his late wife Mary had started a family in Traer and one of his reasons for retiring was to spend more time with family after Mary passed away in 2017. He will also spend time camping and traveling with his grandkids.

In the meantime, the City of Traer will search for a new Street Department employee to take over Novak’s duties.

“John has quietly gone about his with great commitment,” Mayor Pete Holden said. “I don’t know how many times I’ve seen him out working on a water line or plowing snow over the years. He’s going to be a hard man to replace.”