 it's my last meeting and I want to thank the board and the current board members and the past board members of course for the opportunity to serve this great community it's been a tremendous honor and of course there's a tremendous number of volunteers that have contributed over the community throughout the time period I've been as manager and they've added so much to the quality of life here in Williston and I would also want to thank the town employees most of the time they made me look at that turn it over to Eric if he wants to report on anything else. Thanks Rick and I just want to publicly recognize your service and dedication to Williston the last 22 and a half years you've done a tremendous job of it an outstanding mentor to me and really want to wish you the best and in retirement moving ahead here. Yesterday I sent a email to the select board looking to celebrate Rick's pending retirement and offering the opportunity to say a few words congratulations to Rick and other things that you may wish to share with him so whoever would like to start I'd appreciate it. I don't really know what to say Rick and probably the best way I can express you know my feelings is I've been on the select board for almost all of the term you've been the town manager and I think I know sorry I know a big reason why I have stayed on the select board and have enjoyed it and continued to learn and and benefit from being on the select board is because of you and so I want to thank you maybe I don't know better but I don't think that's the case you did a great job I like what you said at the end of your your little thing there it's been a great run I couldn't agree more best wishes thank you Jeff. Rick the only thing add to that is just a couple quick thoughts I that your the job that you did the professionalism that you've exhibited and the character of your of your person made being on the select board make made it for me anyway feel safe it made me like there was somebody who knew what they were doing and knew how all the pieces fit together the amount of difficulty that goes on on a town with the nuts and bolts of running it is is massive and people don't appreciate it and they don't understand it. I remember listening to my father once talking about a political thing and he said that the sitting governor was not going to beat the sitting U.S. senator because governors actually have to make decisions and when they make decisions they bother people and I think that's true with town manager that you have to you have to make decisions and you have done that with wisdom you have done that with class and you have done that with courage and I I cannot sing your praises high enough you are the reason among others but one of the chief reasons why the town has done as well as it has done and you will be very very missed Eric will do a great job but everybody's individual and that being said I do I do kind of envy you to go on to new new challenges and new new horizons and maybe maybe relax a little bit but the last thing I'd say is thank you thank you very very much. Thank you Ted. Well Rick it's the rookie out of the bullpen so to speak as you know I'm an active listener but I want to I want to thank you for taking the time which I know that you have with probably anybody that's been on any board or with any any department in the town you go the extra mile you know this is new for me I'm learning every meeting not not that I've accomplished a lot on the learning curve because I'm still learning but anytime I visit the town office you make time for me you ask opinions of others you gather information you make sound decisions on things that you have to make a tough call on at times that I've seen already in my short time here on the select board I think the town has been extremely I'll say extremely lucky to have you at the town for the last 22 and a half years your service is lost you lost your garden I think he's frozen up yeah am I back okay I'll finish up as I said I talked to many select board members not only on current board but for frozen up again garden service and I wish you the best in the future thank you very much thank you and thanks Gordon and finally you know they say in real estate it's location location location but for Rick it's been integrity integrity integrity he's come forward with innovative ideas for the select board to consider to solve very thorny problems over the course of the years I've been fortunate to serve on the board for about 18 years now and enjoyed almost every minute of it and especially with having Rick as the town manager he's well known among his peers and well respected we have seen him appointed too many things in the county and other places as far as being this town manager and you think about over the course of 22 and a half years a number of meetings like this that he's had to come to because that's part of the job and after 22 and a half years that's got to amount to about 3,000 hours that we expected him to be at and just as part of the job so thank you very much for all of that will be a continuing celebration Monday night and I wish we were able to do a cutting of the cake which we have done in the past or for select board members but at this time I asked the select board to rise and give Rick a standard ovation I can say one more thing Mr. Chair first of all thank you all for your kind thoughts get a little emotional here I will continue to offer the town my assistance as we transition I know Eric's taking over on Monday but I'm just a phone call away or a zoom call away or in some cases a short walk away and so I will continue my assistance where I can but I know the town is in good hands with the current board members and of course the current staff including Eric and I know he'll do a fine job for the town thank you thank you Rick