Friends and colleagues remembered former Utilities Director Tom Wiedmeier as a thoughtful, caring man of many talents at a building dedication.
The 452 Walker Street administration building for Augusta Utilties and Engineering, where many Augustans go to pay their utility bills, was dedicated to Wiedmeier Wednesday, more than four years after his untimely death at age 59 from COVID-19.
Augusta Administrator Tameka Allen remembered her friend, colleague and longtime neighbor – in rural Burke County – as an exemplary leader within the organization.
“Tom’s work at Augusta Utilities Department and in Augusta was not just about completing tasks or achieving goals, it was about fostering relationships, inspiring greatness in others and creating a culture of excellence that will continue to thrive for years to come,” Allen said.
A Westside High School graduate who studied civil engineering at Georgia Tech, Wiedmeier joined city government in the 1980s.
He entered the private sector for a few years before returning to the city in 2009 as director of Augusta Utilities, which oversees all water and wastewater systems.
Savannah Riverkeeper Executive Director Tonya Bonitatibus said Wiedmeier had worked closely with her on water and environmental projects helping her grow as he did others.
“He would see you and he would bring you along and make sure you knew that he cared, and then he would open doors for you,” she said.
Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle, who served through much of Wiedmeier’s time as utilities director, said the calm but driven director made a commissioner’s life easier.
“Tom was always the one that you could call,” Guilfoyle said. “You didn’t have to call him back to see if it was done because it was done, and he made sure of it.”
Allen Saxon, who worked closely with Wiedmeier as an assistant Utilities director, said he met Wiedmeier when he was a young engineer living in Burke County with his dogs.
As they got to know each other, Saxon said he was struck by Wiedmeier’s depth of thought and concern for people.
“He thought deeply about things. He had real opinions about things; he wasn’t just mimicking someone else’s opinions. He had his own opinions about things and he held to those,” Saxon said.
Wiedmeier encouraged Saxon to return to city government and Saxon said he never regretted it.
A man of many culinary and musical talents, Wiedmeier would have asked if Wednesday’s ceremony was necessary, his wife, Kelly, said.
“He was such a humble person. He’d ask why are y’all doing this? Let me rest in peace,” she said.
Wiedmeier never referred to himself as the “boss” at Augusta Utilities, even though he was. “He never put himself on that pedestal,” she said. “He’d say, ‘We work together at the utilities department.”
Longtime friend Mitch Freeman said Wiedmeier had lots of friends, and if he was your friend, his friends became yours.
Freeman said the adjectives integrity, honor, loyalty, humility and “an unbelievable empathy for everyone” applied to Wiedmeier.
“He was a complete person,” he said.
