BIDDEFORD, Maine — Kirby Littlefield’s career, providing clean drinking water to the people of Biddeford and Saco, started and ended on the same date, 56 years apart.
“I started on May 12 in 1966 and retired May 12, 2022,” Kirby said as he shared coffee Tuesday morning with a group of co-workers, reporters, and his wife, Annette.
They had gathered for a low-key celebration of Kirby's remarkable career with the local water company. But it was low key, only in numbers and volume.
Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant read Littlefield a letter from Gov. Janet Mills and presented a framed letter of his own from the city, plus more from U.S. Sens. King and Collins, U.S. Rep. Pingree, and the Maine Legislature.
But the presentation that seemed to mean the most was a bronze plaque from water district owner Maine Water, naming the training room at the brand new water treatment plant in honor of Kirby Littlefield.
“Kirby won’t say it, but there will never be another employee like him,” Maine Water director Mike Cummings said.
He said for all those years, Littlefield had become the one person every other employee in the company looked to for advice, guidance, and problem solving.
The company needed some of that as well when Littlefield announced his intention to retire in 2013.
“They twisted my arm,” Kirby told the group, saying Maine Water had some big projects that needed his expertise, including planning and building the new, $60 million treatment plant.
"So, he stayed for another nine-plus years," Cummings said.
“To extend your career by a decade to help others and see our team through the transition from old plant to new plant is significant," he said. “We will never see another Kirby."
Kirby himself downplays his work achievements and longevity. He said the work was sometimes physically tough when he started, especially hauling heavy bags of lime each day to be used for purifying the water. He also said they worked six-day weeks then, and pay was low.
He admits considering leaving a few times but stayed as the work improved.
“And then it got more and more interesting, then you learn to be an operator, run sampling and testing, and that’s when you realize this is pretty important."
And so Kirby stayed, did everything, and then taught others.
Along the way, he made sure the Saco River water was clean, safe and good tasting and that the system always provided enough.
Tuesday’s “Coffee With Kirby” pleased his co-workers and pleased Annette.
“Its nice to see all his hard work appreciated, you know?” Annette said as the others chatted with her husband.
The gathering also symbolized an even bigger change for Maine Water. The new water treatment plant went online just two weeks ago. The old plant Kirby ran for all those years is still being used, but only for a few more weeks.
“A lot of memories,” Kirby said as he showed a reporter around the old treatment plant. It was built in the 1880s next to the Saco River, the large filter room added in the 1930s. It, too, will be retired.
The new facility is gleaming stainless steel and has modern electronic controls. But it, too, will need people to keep an eye on it, to ensure the towns get the millions of gallons of water they need each week.
Those people should be able to handle the job. They were, after all, taught and inspired by Kirby Littlefield, and will use the new room that will now carry his name.