Flower Power

Ninety flowerpots don’t water themselves. Neither do the hundreds of red flowers lining both sides of the N. Harrison St./SR 9 bridge over Big Blue River. Luckily for Shelbyville, Mary Jo Phares is happy to help

“I’m lucky I got this job,” Phares said last week as she unloaded a hose, meter, and connection equipment near a fire hydrant on W. Jackson St. It’s the first of four or five water tank fill-ups she’ll need throughout the evening. She refills so often that local firemen have dubbed it “Mary Jo’s hydrant.”

Some people would despise taking a second job that required five hours of work, three days a week before going to a day job at 7 a.m. Phares often starts before 2:30 a.m., and some days does part in the evenings. She works full-time as the Shelby County Auditor.

“It’s not for the money,” she explained. “I’m inside all day; this gets me outside.”

Watering the City of Shelbyville’s flowers, which stretch from the Big Blue River down to Hendricks Street, east to Pike St. and west to Tompkins St., was once handled by Charles Duvelius. Phares used to joke that she wanted the job. A few years ago, Duvelius notified Phares that he would need to retire. Phares applied with Mayor Tom DeBaun and now traverses downtown on the 16-year-old Gator.

“I’ve been doing it ever since,” she said.

Although she’s ran out of gas twice, attributed to the gauge sitting below the seat, most days run like clock-work. The job places her in the unofficial role of downtown business overseer. Several local employees regularly check on her progress, which Phares enjoys.

“I’m a people person,” she said.

Phares’ current term as Auditor ends in 2018 and she’s not planning to run again. But she won’t be climbing off the Gator anytime soon.

“I’m not going to retire from this, at least I hope not!” Phares said.

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