It takes a lot to surprise a man who is tasked with being prepared for any contingency. But more than 100 City of New Richmond employees and community members were able to pull off just that on Thursday, Sept. 18, when they threw a surprise retirement ceremony for longtime city emergency government director Chuck Mehls. Under the guise of a tabletop emergency exercise, Public Works Director Jeremiah Wendt and Fire Chief Jim Vander Wyst kept Mehls occupied in the basement of the Civic Center while guests gathered across the street at the New Richmond Fire & Rescue hall.