Fiegl will retire end of March, was town's first refuse officer
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

When Len Fiegl started with Amherst's Highway Department the town didn't even have a garbage program. When he retires on March 31 he will step down as senior refuse officer of the largest private garbage program west of Albany in New York State.

Fiegl recently announced his retirement after 35 years of employment with the town. He was first hired by the Highway Department in 1971 and after working his way up the ranks, he was approached in 1987 by former supervisor Jack Sharpe to head the newly created garbage district in town.

"I decided to take the position, which started Jan. 1, 1988," he said. "Before then, residents had private collection services. I think there were five or six in town. It was an unorganized approach to picking up the garbage."

Through the years, Fiegl said he grew with the position, adapting to the many new laws for environmentally friendly service.

He also was integral to the creation of the curbside recycling program and the construction of the compost facility, both taking place in the early 1990s.

During his 35 years as the senior refuse officer the number of residential parcels has grown from 26,000 to 34,000.

"I've enjoyed the job ... the majority of the residents have been very supportive. We've got a good town here," he said.

Fiegl added that he is proud that the Refuse Department offers responsible garbage collection service at a reasonable price.

Some of his most memorable days came toward the end of his career - the October storm.

"Who would have expected a storm of that magnitude in that period of time," he said. "We picked up 3,000 more tons of garbage and trash in a four-week period than average. It was quite challenging."

With so many residents without power for an extended period of time a large amount of garbage had to be removed from homes. Flooded basements also contributed to the problem.

"It was a severe health issue. We had to get everything cleaned out and disposed of," he said.

With a laugh Fiegl added, "Thank God there were a lot more good memories than bad."

After more than three decades of service he had the opportunity to enter into a field of work he has always been interested in.

Following his retirement at the end of March, Fiegl will be working in the production of ethanol from corn.

"This is something I have always wanted to do; this was the ideal opportunity," he said.

Fiegl has been an active member in improving the handling of waste in WNY. He has been the chairman of the Northwest Solid Waste Management Board and is the treasurer of Keep Western New York Beautiful.

He is also a past chief for the Getzville Fire Company.

Refuse officer Charles Moses Jr. was named acting senior refuse officer at Monday's Town Board meeting.