Tintle named 2012 Lambert Award winner

Gary Tintle

Gary Tintle has been selected as the 2012 recipient of the Col. William H. “Bill” Lambert Award.

The Lambert Award is presented by the Famous Marching Presidents of Nevada City to recognize outstanding contributions to Nevada City and the Nevada City way of life.

“Gary Tintle has put his heart, soul and pocketbook into Nevada City,” said Marching Presidents founder David Parker. “When you look around at the history and beauty of downtown Nevada City, his mark is everywhere.”

The award is named in honor of the late Col. William H. Lambert, founder of Nevada City’s annual Constitution Day Parade.

The Marching Presidents announce the award each year on the eve of the annual Constitution Day parade, which this year begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9, in downtown Nevada City.

Tintle and his wife, Patti, will join the Marching Presidents in the parade. Following the parade, presentation of the Lambert Award will take place at the Marching Presidents annual awards banquet at Miners Foundry.

“I believe in community involvement and I believe in Nevada City,” said Tintle, who has worked as a contractor and developer for more than 30 years and has been deeply involved in Nevada City for the past 15 years.

He built the historically authentic 100 Union Street Building in partnership with Robinson Enterprises Inc., replacing an old closed gas station that had become an eyesore, His company also provided most of the costs and labor for building the city’s adjacent Robinson Plaza park.

The Tintles are partners with Ken and Kay Baker in the Alpha Building, which is now being developed into a multi-use retail and office complex and in the Kidd-Knox Building at Broad and Pine streets that includes the new Haven Underground music center. They also own Friar Tuck’s building, which was rebuilt following a fire in 2003. The partners also recently acquired the Bank of America building on Commercial Street.

Tintle, whose construction company completed the remodel and renovation of City Hall, has also been active with the former downtown association, the Nevada City Farmer’s Market, Sustainability Team, Commercial Street Boardwalk project and Save Our Downtown Courthouse. He now serves as president of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce.

“People have their own opinions of Nevada City, but I’ll tell you what, I’m a big fan,” he said. “This city does a great job.”

The Tintles are longtime residents of Banner Mountain. They are the parents of a daughter, Emily; and grandparents of a grandson, Landon, 3.

Past recipients

Retired city manager Beryl P. Robinson Jr.

Former mayor and city clerk Cathy Wilcox-Barnes

Former parade organizers George and Pat Harper

Former mayor and business owner Pat Dyer

Late real estate broker Jim Mackey

Local writer Dave Carter

Chamber of Commerce executive manager Cathy Whittlesey

Former mayor and historian Steve Cottrell

Businessman Bob Buhlis

Retired Nevada County general services director Dennis Cassella

John Christensen, a leader of community efforts to establish the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

Cartoonist Robert Crabb

Business owners Lee and Susan Thurston

Nevada City public works director Verne Taylor

The late historian Edwin Tyson

The late folksinger/activist Utah Phillips

City engineer Bill Falconi

Marching Presidents organizer Patti Foster

Retired school administrator Karen Chizek

Musician Mikail Graham

Retired county librarian Madelyn Helling

Marching Presidents founder David Parker