Two retiring members of the City of Charleston staff were recognized and honored by the City Council Tuesday.

Capt. Dan Ensign of the Charleston Fire Department has served with the department for 30 years.

“Putting 30 years in at any one place is quite an accomplishment,” said Kris Phipps, chief of the department.

During Ensign’s time at the fire department, he has served five fire chiefs and been under the jurisdiction of six different mayors. He has been with the department for all but three of the years that it has handled ambulance and EMS services.

“He’s been a very dedicated employee,” said Phipps.

Phipps said that Ensign has been instrumental to the department, where he has served as a CPR instructor and a haz-mat officer. City Manager Scott Smith also said that Ensign has been of great assistance in providing CPR training for city officials in the safety committee.

In addition to being of great assistance to the department, Ensign has also been heavily involved in other areas of the community, Phipps said.

“He has been instrumental in finding things and making opportunities possible for kids in the community,” he said.

One time, a swing was stolen from Mark Twain Elementary School in Charleston, and Ensign was a major contributor to replacing the stolen swing, said Phipps.

The other retiree honored Tuesday was Georgia Beltz of the Charleston Police Department.

Beltz joined the department in 1992 as a parking enforcement officer. At that time, all parking ticket records were handled on a manual system, and Beltz helped to change to an electronic system, said police Chief Paul Welch.

In her time with the department, Beltz has aided in many different parts of the department, everything from parking to records, said Welch.

“She’s become a fixture in the department,” he said.

Beltz said her plans for retirement include reading, working in her garden, traveling and shopping.

“I’m just going to do the things I want to do,” she said.

Beltz said there that she will miss the people she works with the most.

“I’ll miss the people I work with,” she said. “They’re my family.”

Welch said Beltz will be missed at the department, and that he wishes her the best with her plans after retirement.

“I think anyone who can finish their job and retire deserves all the best,” he said.

In other business, Smith announced the hiring of Steve Pamperin as assistant city planner, a new position for the city. Pamperin previously worked with the city as chairman of the Board of Zoning and Appeals.

Pamperin said he was grateful of the city staff and the city council for allowing him the opportunity to join the staff.

“I’m looking forward to joining such a professional and progressive organization as the City of Charleston,” said Pamperin.

The Council also authorized the expenditure of $2,000 of tourism funds for the Embarras Valley Film Festival.

The event, which will be held in September, is the third time the event has been hosted in Charleston. This year, the festival will honor film legend and Eastern graduate Burl Ives.

Four films starring Ives will be shown during the film festival, with films being shown at both the Tarble Arts Center on Eastern’s campus and Will Rogers’ Theater on the square.

In other business, the City Council:

Appropriated $9300 for the purchase of right-of-way land on Second Street, east of Morton Park. This is part of the plan to widen Second Street.

Awarded a bid for construction of an underground detention system at Carnegie Public Library to Hancor/Illinois Meter of Springfield for $34,330. The detention system is a series of pipes that will allow water to be drained and retained to prevent flooding.

Approved street closures for two events. The events are the “Four-on-the-Fourth” foot race being sponsored by Habitat for Humanity on July 4, and a Boy Scouts of America soap box derby on July 31, and

Waived the fidelity bond requirements for five organizations seeking raffle ticket permits.

Joy Pratte, Embarras Valley Film Festival director, shows Charleston City Clerk Deborah Muller a copy of the New Yorker that Pratte’s name appeared in after the city council meeting June 20. The council authorized two thousand dollars worth of tourism f

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