By Brian Ruth
The Scene staff
Forest Park Facilities Manager Dennis Kozlowski apparently has lost his job.
People he supervised in housekeeping and maintenance said he was “walked out” earlier this month.
That is the term coined by St. Louis Community College employees to describe the phenomenon of people reporting for work, getting told they are being fired or laid off, being asked to collect their belongings and being escorted off campus.
Forest Park police chief Richard Banahan was let go this way in March after more than 25 years of service.
Kozlowski could not be reached for comment this week.
Gina Tarte, an STLCC marketing and communications employee, referred questions to Rebecca Garrison, associate for board relations and custodian of records, because Kedra Tolson, executive director of marketing and communications, was on vacation.
Garrison sent the following email to The Scene on July 24:
“In response to your request for information regarding an employee being escorted from campus, the information being requested is deemed to be a closed record pursuant to Section 610.021 (3) of the Missouri Sunshine Law. Therefore, your request for information is denied.”
After The Scene asked Tarte whether the vacant position of facilities manager was being filled or eliminated, Garrison emailed, “The college has yet to make any determination.”
The Scene profiled Kozlowski in its June 30 issue, highlighting his landscaping efforts at the college.
He had become something of a tree expert since taking the supervisory job 16 years ago. He did extensive research before deciding what to plant and where to plant it.
“Maybe I do have a bit of a green thumb, I don’t know,” he said. “I just like the beautification aspect of landscaping. But then again, I can’t get the tomatoes to grow in my back yard.”