CHOCOWINITY — Chocowinity’s Public Works Director Kevin Brickhouse snagged a top honor from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. Brickhouse will be honored as DWQ’s Operator of the Year during a ceremony in Raleigh later this month.

According to Chocowinity Mayor Jimmy Mobley, Brickhouse has done outstanding work in keeping the town’s water system current, and he’s not afraid to try new ideas.

“He’s doing a lot of improvement and, of course, with the new technology and stuff, he’s keeping up,” Mobley said.

Brickhouse began working for the town when he was 17 years old. Seventeen years later, he’s the director of Public Works.

“He’s worked himself up and learned the whole system,” Mobley said. “He’s real dedicated to his job, to his work.”

At the town’s Tuesday night meeting, the award was announced to those in attendance. Brickhouse thanked Mobley for nominating him and said he was honored to be the recipient of the award.

Chocowinity has four wells and two treatment plants that serve the town’s residents, all of which Brickhouse oversees. That’s in addition to his other work that ranges from making sure brackets for decorations are installed on lampposts for the this year’s Christmas parade to running water out to a concession stand at the recreation center’s football field.

“It’s an honor for him, but also for the town, for an employee to get Operator of the Year,” Mobley said.

Brickhouse and Mobley will travel to the Capitol on Sept. 24 to receive the award.