They are laying carpet tiles in the council chambers to replace the termite-ravaged ones that Pedigo discovered several weeks ago.

Pedigo and his crew took the council bench apart to check for more damage. Then they put it back together again.

“I”ll get down on my knees and do the work,” says Pedigo. “My job has a really broad range of responsibilities and I enjoy that.”

For the work in carrying out those responsibilities, Pedigo has been named Employee of the Quarter by Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen.

In Pedigo’s role, he not only applies the elbow grease, but manages public works employees who maintain all the town’s assets — streets and grounds and about 50 vehicles.

Under his watch, the public works department has undertaken many jobs in-house to save the town money — from removing the trees planted errantly in N.C. Depart-ment of Trans-portation rights of way to building the stone Welcome to Knightdale sign on Knightdale Boulevard.

Pedigo says the trick is knowing when it’s more efficient and sensible to complete the work in-house or when it needs to be contracted out.

Pedigo’s ability to juggle responsibilities and his flexibility have served him well during a career that has had as many turns as the Tennessee river in his boyhood home.

Pedigo, a native of Bakersville, California., left the west coast with his family to the heart of Tennessee when he was just a boy.

He and wife, Kay, stayed there until 1980 when the family moved to North Carolina.

After a stint on the Knightdale Town Council in the mid ’90s, he, Kay and their daughter, Caley, moved back to Murfreesboro to take care of some family matters.

Because they liked Knightdale so much, Pedigo and his family returned in 2006.

During his time away, Pedigo was a general contractor, an electrical and sign contractor, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Phoenix in business administration.

“If you stop learning in today’s environment, you’re basically out,” says Pedigo. “You’ve got to keep up with what’s going on.”

Pedigo has watched the town of Knightdale change from a sleepy small town to the fourth fastest growing community in Wake County.

“Things change during a short period of time, especially these days,” he says. “Especially in technology and we all know that the economy can change even over a short period of time.”

Pedigo says he hopes what he’s learned from his varied career will benefit the residents of Knightdale.