After working at the building depot twice in the 1970s as part of a job creation scheme, Karl-Heinz Lange was taken on permanently on October 1, 1995 and was initially responsible for cleaning toilets. In 2002, he switched to street cleaning, where he ensured cleanliness in the Idar / Lay and Vollmersbachstraße areas. In October 2019, Lange celebrated his 25th anniversary of service and is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement.
"The cleanliness of the streets and squares is important for the appearance of a city," explained Mayor Marx. Unfortunately, Idar-Oberstein, like many other cities, is increasingly struggling with a garbage problem that the public works department can barely cope with. "This issue was also a thorn in Karl-Heinz Lange's side and he often discussed it with me in order to find solutions," emphasized the head of the building depot. This shows the great commitment with which the street cleaner carried out his task. "Karl-Heinz Lange has excelled in his work and we are sad that he is leaving us," explained Mayor Marx and thanked the soon-to-be retiree with a certificate and gifts for his work. The colleagues and staff representatives gladly joined in the thanks and good wishes for his retirement.
The head of the building depot, Gerhard Baum, also praised his employee: "Karl-Heinz always performed his work reliably and, above all, kept the waste problem in his very large district under control." They had many wonderful years together and often discussed the work and possible improvements.
The fact that Karl-Heinz Lange is particularly concerned about this topic was also evident when he said goodbye: "Sometimes it felt like I was working in waste collection and not in street cleaning," he explained. Nevertheless, he enjoyed his work and always felt responsible for his district. The building depot had almost become a part of his family. This was underlined by the fact that his wife Marieluise Renate accompanied him to the farewell ceremony. She is also proud of her husband's achievements: "He did his job with great diligence, this work was important to him."