Lorrie Ross • Clay County Progress Clay County Transfer Station Director Kevin Shaheen has worked at the transfer station for almost 11 years. He has been director for four years.
The word essential is defined by: www.merriam-webster.com as “of the utmost importance: basic, indispensable and necessary.” Essential workers are everywhere, but the men who operate the Clay County Transfer Station may be some of the most indispensable workers in the county. They, along with all of the trash collectors around the area, have to deal with other people’s garbage every day.
Randy, Ted and Kevin may sound like the name of a TV sitcom, but it is how most residents know the three transfer station employees whose full names are Randy Canup, Ted Teesateskie and Kevin Shaheen. Meeting people and getting to know them is what all three men named as one of their favorite parts of their jobs.
Canup will have worked there five years next February. “I enjoy all the people,” he said. “Meeting and getting to talk to them.” Teesateskie agreed. He started working for the transfer station about 15 months ago. “I’ve gotten to know a lot more people,” he said. “I like talking to the people.”
As director of the transfer station for almost four years, Shaheen also has seniority. “I’m going on 11 years being here,” he explained. “I enjoy seeing and talking to all of the people in the county. I have made a lot of friends.”
Tuesdays are usually one of the least busy days at the transfer station, yet the men were so busy on this Tuesday morning, they could barely spare the time to talk. Plus, business is increasing so Clay County will provide another employee soon. That person will work two days a week at the transfer station and the rest of the hours in another county job to be a full time employee with benefits. Shaheen said they average about five new customers a week.
“We rotate Saturdays so one person is off each Saturday,” Shaheen explained “We have a hard job trying to keep this running and make improvements on a minimal budget. My job is keeping everything moving within budget. It’s sometimes hard to keep everyone satisfied, get their vacations and more. I don’t like to just sit around so I enjoy some of the challenges. It’s always a challenge, but I like a challenge.”
Days off allows each of them time to enjoy their favorite leisure activities with families. For Canup, it is spending time with his two grandkids. “They are my pride and joy,” he smiled. “We’re always out playing.” Canup is married to Donna, a county employee who cleans the county offices. The couple’s daughter Whitney is a student at Tri-County Community College.
Canup installed hardwood floors for 25 years, but that got to be tough on the knees and back. He has done construction type work all of his life which has given him the knowledge to operate equipment like he needs to for his job at the transfer station. “Keeping recycling moved is one important part of the job. The most important part of our job is keeping all the trash pushed in so the people can dump theirs,” he said, as he climbed into a track hoe to push some large piles of debris collected by Teesateskie.
Teesateskie blocked part of the trash collection area with the smaller dozer he had been driving, then he emerged to answer questions next. “I think recycling is probably the most important thing we do,” Teesateskie echoed his coworker. He left his longtime career as a welder to join the transfer station crew. “I was having to drive to Tennessee every day,” he said. “I got married and this job gave me benefits. Not many welding jobs have benefits.” His wife of two years, Karen, works for the Clay County Clerk of the Court. Plus, he has two daughters, Jordan Teesateeskie and Suzzane Chastain. For Teesateeskie, time off work is spent riding motorcycles or river kayaking with his wife. “I really like working with these guys,” he added.
One of the guys he is referring to is Kevin Shaheen, Director of the Clay County Transfer Station. His wife, Kim, is a teaching assistant at Hayesville Elementary School. The couple has two sons, Kyle, 13, and Kabe, 10, along with a 30-year-old daughter, Kayla Shaheen, who is stationed in California with the Navy. His family spends many days off at the baseball field or boating. “Riding in the boat or playing in the water,” he laughed. “That is where you can find us when I am not here.”
There is no trash talk among these guys. “We do enjoy cutting up sometimes,” Shaheen said. “But I think we have a really, good crew that works together.”