MORRIS COUNTY — When a pipe bursts, the air conditioning shuts down or a boiler breaks at the Morris County Correctional Facility, Warden Christopher Klein calls on two people whose vocabularies don’t include the word no.

The honor goes to Bureau of Corrections Sergeant Shawn Johnston and Civilian Employee Lugene Melchiorri. They received plaques, three extra days off, and allotted parking spots for the duration of this year.Now, Warden Klein also calls the pair 2018 Employees of the Year of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office’s Bureau of Corrections.

Warden Klein said he and bureau captains bestow the award every year on a sworn officer and a civilian employee who, simply stated, “Do a fantastic job.”

“There’s nobody else who knows this building like they do. Every nail, bolt and nut,” Warden Klein said.

Both Sergeant Johnston and Melchiorri work in the Support Services Division, which is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the 524-bed correctional facility that opened in May 2000. Both employees are available around-the-clock to perform or manage emergency repairs or maintenance and have been tackling for the past six months an overhaul of the 75 showers in the facility, Warden Klein said.

For security reasons, the correctional facility operates as a self-contained environment with most maintenance and repairs performed by in-house staff overseen by Sgt. Johnston. The challenges are growing as the facility ages, Warden Klein said.

“It makes me feel appreciated. It’s a real nice honor,” said Sgt. Johnston. He has worked at the Correctional Facility since 2005 and, besides managing maintenance of the facility and serving as its Fire Safety Director, is responsible for OSHA and Workers Compensation issues.

Sgt. Johnston even runs a snow plow around the parking lot in an emergency.

Melchiorri, a licensed plumber and heating/cooling technician, has worked for Morris County for 29 years and expects to retire in August. He worked five years at the antiquated former county jail before the modern correctional facility opened in 2000 in Morris Township.

“I love it here and enjoy all the people I work with,” Melchiorri said.

Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said the honor rewards two employees with extraordinary work ethics.

“I thank Sergeant Johnston and Mr. Melchiorri for their expertise and commitment to ensuring the Morris County Correctional Facility is kept in tremendous condition,” the Sheriff said.

Warden Klein said Melchiorri never hesitates to stay late or come into the facility when air conditioning, plumbing or heating falters, and that Sergeant Johnston is an officer whose skills and knowledge of the facility he relies on every day.

HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Morris County Freeholder and Republican candidate for Surrogate, Heather Darling, visited Employment Horizons in Cedar Knolls last week.

Employment Horizons, originally founded by a group of parents who wanted to expand work and personal growth opportunities for their children with disabilities employs adults with disabilities both on-site and in the community at locations across Morris County and beyond.

“It was a treat for me to meet Bobby, Sean, and many of the other employees working at Employment Horizons. Employment Horizons serves many citizens of Morris County by providing jobs, training, referrals and more. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to visit and learn about this resource.”

PARSIPPANY — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill spent the morning today with students, faculty, and County College of Morris (CCM) President, Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, to learn more about the collaborative efforts taking place between local institutions and businesses. While at CCM, Congresswoman Sherrill learned about how the school’s curriculum provides its students with the education and preparation required in today’s rapidly changing workplace.

Following her visit to CCM, Congresswoman Sherrill headed to Evonik and Metem, a GE Power business, where she toured both company’s facilities, hearing from workers and managers about their respective cutting-edge work in research and development, as well as the need for a workforce versed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“New Jersey produces world-class talent, and my visits to the County College of Morris, Metem, and Evonik today confirmed that fact,” said Congresswoman Sherrill. “We need to ensure that after our students receive a quality education, there is a path to a good job waiting for them here at home. As a member of the House Science Committee, I will take the lessons learned about education and career development with me back to Congress, and keep advocating for greater opportunities for workforce development.”