Hiawatha World

(Seneca, Kan., April 8, 2025) – Paul Reynolds, manager of Brown County Rural Water District No. 1, recently received a Special Recognition Award for his years of service to the water system. The award was announced during the Kansas Rural Water Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition, held March 25 – 27 at Century II Convention Center in downtown Wichita.

Paul started working in Rural Water in 1969 as a project inspector on the newly formed and under construction Brown County Rural Water District No. 1. He stayed on to operate the system after the project was completed. In 1985, Paul took on bookkeeping duties and was promoted to District Manager, a role he still fills today at age 90. In addition to performing all duties require to operate and manage the rural water district, Paul served on the Fairview City Council from 1975 to 1985 and was elected again and served from 1991 until 2007. Paul’s service to the local community does not end with political office, he manages numerous rental properties and built a mobile home community so the city had housing for citizens. Paul and his brother operated the town grocery store in the 1980s so citizens could shop locally. In his spare time, Paul also founded and operated Reynolds City Wide Trash Service, just another of many examples of his service to his community. Paul is truly a special person to his community.

Approximately 2,300 people attended the Conference. They came from 318 cities and 205 other water and wastewater utilities in Kansas and neighboring states.