Page 6 - Sept-Oct 2025 Vol 43 No 4

MARYVILLE By Lisa Hood Skinner, CTA
Garner Receives Snoderly Award

Left to right: Mark Miller, TCAPWA Chapter Administrator; Brad Hurst, Maryville Sanitation Superintendent; Tim Phillips, Maryville Assistant Public Works Director;
Johnny Garner; Kimberly Strong, TCAPWA Chapter President; and John Chlarson, TCAPWA Chapter Secretary.

The City of Maryville’s on a winning About Those Knuckle Boom Trucks… award is named, was a long-time
streak. For the second year in a row, Brad Hurst, Garner’s supervisor and engineering and Public Works
Maryville’s had the winner of the Sanitation Superintendent for the City consultant for the state’s Municipal
Murphy Snoderly Award (last year’s of Maryville, says Garner “found that his Technical Advisory Service (MTAS).
winner was Doug Strickland, the true love was operating knuckle boom He felt the working person, the man or
city’s heavy equipment operator in trucks,” and that for the past 22+ years, woman who day in and day out picks up
Engineering and Public Works.) Garner has been the standard for the garbage or patches streets or performs
This year’s award, a prestigious city’s knuckle boom operators. dozens of other chores at a relatively
annual TCAPWA statewide honor “When a new employee came along low pay scale, should be recognized
given to a highly deserving Public and thought he would ‘outwork’ Johnny, for dedication and service to the
Works employee, goes to the City of he found out real quick that he had bitten community.
Maryville’s Johnny Garner. off more than he could chew,” Hurst said. Guidelines say the award recipient
Garner began his career on July Hurst added that during Garner’s 32+ must be “an operation level or ‘working
13,1993, first starting out on the City years at the city, “Johnny has maintained person’ employee.” It is presented
of Maryville’s rear load garbage truck. a tremendous safety record and always annually at the Tennessee Municipal
After a half year of hard work, he was takes time to train the new employees (or League Conference.
promoted to Grounds Maintenance, show them some “old tricks” that might Hurst said that as one of the city’s
mowing the city’s parks and right of help them learn.)” most caring and loyal employees,
ways for the next seven years. Throughout those years, he’s been Garner “truly is the picture of what the
He then was promoted to the known to take great pride in his work, Murphy Snoderly Award represents.
Sanitation Department, where he receiving many compliments on his Johnny is a ‘working person’ who
learned to operate many different operating abilities and stellar customer is nearing retirement and deserves
pieces of equipment, including the service. recognition for a great career.”
rear load garbage truck, the front load Origins of the Murphy Snoderly Award “The City of Maryville is very
dumpster truck and the knuckle boom Murphy Snoderly, for whom the fortunate to have an employee like
trucks. Johnny,” Hurst added.
6 TPW September/October 2025