Genie Collins
AMERICUS — Henry Barfield, City of Americus Natural Gas superintendent, has seen a lot of changes in the last few years on managing the commodity.
On Dec. 31, he will retire, having served 22 years in that position. He came to the position to take the place of the superintendent who had been at the department, since it’s inception in 1954, Barfield said.
“I was hired because of my management skills,” Barfield said. Today, not only does the Natural Gas superintendent have to know how to manage people, but also resources in ways that are compliant with the state and federal regulations.
“The most important (aspect) ... is being able to manage a complex system and meet state and federal regulations,” Barfield said. “We do a lot of recordkeeping.”
Barfield said he’s most proud of the fact that he’s been able to maintain a “good system” over the years, and help some “good employees.” He praised his secretary, calling her a “tremendous help.”
“There are different types of natural gas,” Barfield said, speaking of the field. He noted that the commodity, in addition to heating homes, is also used in big manufacturing facilities.
Barfield noted that money to run the Natural Gas Department does not come solely from the taxpayers, thus it is an Enterprise Fund for the city’s budget. Most of the money comes from customers paying for use of the commodity. They money they pay goes back operation of the department.
“The beauty of this system is that it stays in the community,” Barfield said. “The stockholders here are the citizens of Americus.”
Barfield said the Mayor and Council are expected to discuss applications for a new Natural Gas superintendent next week. This person will train with Barfield, until his retirement.
“For a while, I’m going to get caught up on my ‘honey-dos,’” Barfield said, with a laugh, when asked what he was going to do after he retired. He added there are still some things around the house he has not completed from the March 1, 2007 tornado.
“Then, I’ll fish, play golf and then if I get bored, I’ll get a part-time job,” Barfield, 65, said.
In addition to these two activities, Barfield also enjoys doing yard work.
A 1963 graduate of Americus High School, Barfield is married to Bonnie, and they have a son, Grady, 14, a student at Schley County High School. Barfield has two children from a previous marriage: Greg Barfield, a firefighter with Americus Fire and Emergency Services and Lisa Barfield Hernandez, an assistant principal at Schley County High School. The Barfields have two grandchildren, Madison and Mallory Hernandez.
Henry and Bonnie Barfield are members of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
