The story of someone starting a job on the bottom step and working his way to the top of the ladder was more common in the past than today.
That is the case, though, with Cheyenne Morgan, Gray’s city superintendent since 2022. He was hired as a grass-cutter and general laborer in 1997 and now is in charge of the water and sewer department and other day-to-day operations.
“I started off actually cutting grass, a weedeater,” Morgan shared last week. “And bush hog. Never been on a farm tractor in my life until I got here. There wasn’t much training involved. They just kind of put me on a bush hog and said go with it, and that’s what I did … I did every position that exists here, and I know every position that we have here.”
Morgan, now only 49, grew up in the Wayside area and as a youngster was very close to his grandfather, Aubrey Morgan.
“I’m just a little old barefooted country boy running around a yard full of chickens, you know. We had a really, really tight-knit family coming up. And my granddaddy was the … I guess what you would call the patriarch back then. He kept the family together. And I was just kind of, you know, 16 years old is pretty self-explanatory,” he concluded with a smile.
Morgan said his parents, Lindsey and Christine, have certainly been part of his life, but when his grandfather passed away, his uncle and aunt, Gail and Pam Morgan, were also there for him, particularly Gail.
“He’s the, what I would say, picture-perfect role model. You know, Vietnam War, tough as nails, no quitting him. So that’s kind of who I try to model my life after.”
Morgan himself has been a hard worker his entire life as well. He became a father when he was 18. “So it was time to go to work,” he commented, adding that he worked at three different jobs by the time he was 19.
“I got the opportunity to come here and work for the city in August of 1997 and have been here ever since.”
The superintendent said he progressed to crew leader, then equipment operator strictly for the water and sewer department.
“And, from there,” he went on, “I went to the water treatment plant as a water treatment plant operator for probably 10-12 years and from there to assistant superintendent then superintendent.”
Morgan was assistant to Frank Ross, who retired in 2021, and he was promoted to superintendent a few months later. “I just kind of held the fort down until it was made official,” he explained.
Morgan has earned certifications in at least six areas, most related to water and sewer responsibilities.
“I’ve accumulated all that throughout the years,” he commented. “So, the city has invested a lot in me, and I’m trying to show them it’s paying off.”
Morgan said he has seen a lot of growth in the water and sewer system, in customers, demands, and now, capacity.
“With the wastewater side, we were actually under a consent order because we were going over our discharge limits or flow limits,” he stated. “We were having many overflows and spills, especially during high rains. We’ve hit that pretty hard, and that’s something we will always continue to work on. “
The city has worked on that problem successfully.
“We built the new wastewater treatment plant,” Morgan pointed out. “That was awesome because not a lot of people get to see a plant built from the ground up. But with wastewater, we now have an additional 400,000 gallons-a-day capacity. What we did is we mirrored the existing plant, so we just built a new sister plant right beside it, doubled the capacity.
“A lot of cities don’t get the chance or have the opportunity or the resources to build a new plant,” he elaborated. “So when we built it, we went ahead and went with the new plant with an additional 400,000 gallons a day. Gray would have to double in size before we ever reached that capacity. It’s all about planning for the future and future growth.”
For the city’s water system, Morgan said there has been more than a 40 percent increase in customer accounts in the past 15 years, up from around 1,500 to close to 2,220 now.
“We have a lot of subdivisions in Gray, so that accounts for a lot of it. As a matter of fact, at the second phase of Piedmont Lakes (off Highway 18 East), I think there’s 107 more lots to be developed out there.”
New water and sewer customers come with a hefty price tag for the city, however, largely due to Gray’s location.
“We’re basically sitting on granite, nothing but granite,” Morgan acknowledged. That severely limits the number and capacity of water wells, meaning other water sources need to be found. The main one is Jones County, he said.
“I think for the 2025 year, we purchased 135 million gallons from Jones County. Basically, half of our water comes from Jones County. It probably went in the past 15 years from $250,000, $300,000 a year, to — I just did the numbers for 2025 — $597,000 for the 2025 year. So, it basically doubled in the last 15 years.
“That’ll give you an idea of how much water consumption has went up in the past 15 years,” he observed. Morgan did say, though, the city is continually seeking its own sources.
“We’re constantly searching for new wells. Matter of fact, I’ve got a capacity on this most recent well we drilled. It’s going to be done next week, so hopefully we’ll be able to provide some more water on our part, too.”
In the discussion about his job, Morgan made two key points: he had goals for himself and the city when he started, and he — and his staff — take pride in Gray’s appearance.
“I came into this position with goals,” he stressed. “My goal is have the water and sewer infrastructure to be a model for the rest of the state. I want us to be self-sufficient on producing water. And,” he added, “I want the infrastructure in Gray to be a lot better off when I leave than what it was when I got it.”
Morgan didn’t hesitate to say he has had the support and cooperation of city officials, and that went hand-in-hand with another of his goals.
“They (city council members) have given me the resources and support to make things happen when it comes to drilling a well, or whatever. I think outside the box a lot, too, and they’ve always supported that.
“Actually, we have a lot of good people from top to bottom in Gray, from city council to department heads and on down. I want people from other places to say, ‘You know what, I heard Gray is a good place to come work,’ the water and sewer department, streets, whatever. That’s the environment and the culture I’m trying to set for me and my guys.”
The superintendent, clearly proud of all of his employees’ work, said all of their efforts are not easily visible to the public.
“We definitely are top tier when it comes to being a clean community. Our rights-of-way probably look better than any city you can think of. We keep the grass cut, we keep the trash up. The limbs out on the road … we have some hanging over the road that might get hit. We cut them down. We take a lot of pride because that’s what people see.”
On the other hand, he countered, “Water and sewer, they don’t see it. It’s out of sight, out of mind. All they know is that water better come out when they cut it on. And water and sewer services, that’s out of our control when a main breaks. But when one does, we’re on it. And we’re working as fast as we can to restore service, I would say. I feel like everybody’s in very capable hands when it comes to city services.”
What does Morgan do off the job?
“Let’s go find some water,” he answered immediately. “Whether it be the river, the lake, whatever, camping, I love it. But I love getting the grandkids out because that’s what I did when I was a kid. Nowadays, most kids, they sit in front of video games, and every chance I get, ‘Let’s go set the tents up at the river. Let’s go set the tents up at the lake.’” Morgan has two daughters, Taylor and Kayla, and four grandchildren. Then there are two other children. “I remarried close to 15 years ago, and my wife, Christina, has two boys, Mason and Noah; they’re my sons also. Our families blended well.”
Though he still is one year shy of 50, Morgan will hit the 30-year mark with the city in about 18 months. He made it clear retirement is not in his plans for the immediate future.
“I’m going to work as long as I’m able to work,” he proclaimed, then explained at least part of the reason why.
“I’ve got family that’s on city water, friends on city water. I’ve been here all my life, so I feel like I got skin in the game. I genuinely care about Gray itself, whether it be water, sewer, streets, citizens, whatever. I just want to do the best job possible while I’m here.”
