Marysville finds interim public works director
Published 9:00 pm Sunday, January 18, 2004
MARYSVILLE — Mayor Dennis Kendall has hired a Spokane man to serve as the city’s interim public works director.
Phil Williams will begin work Tuesday, while the city begins a search for a permanent replacement for Jim Owens, who resigned Jan. 7 after serving since September 2002.
The City Council voted unanimously on Monday to authorize Kendall to sign a short-term contract with Williams, who will oversee a department with 80 employees and an annual maintenance and operations budget of $15.4 million. He will earn $70 an hour during the search for a permanent replacement, which could take up to four months.
"The guy just has a phenomenal amount of public and private-sector experience," city spokesman Doug Buell said.
Until this week, Williams served as infrastructure project manager with engineering consultants CH2M Hill in the company’s Spokane office. He has worked there since 1998, dealing with numerous local governments, agencies and companies in the western United States on water, wastewater and solid waste management projects, transportation and capital programs.
Before joining CH2M Hill, Williams worked for the city of Spokane in management positions including five years as environmental programs director and six years as director of the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System. He subsequently was promoted to public works and utilities director, overseeing a department with more than 800 employees and a $170 million budget.
He began his career working for the state Department of Ecology in Olympia as a water-quality investigator, then he became a district supervisor in Olympia. "He’s got pretty extensive experience all around in wastewater, solid waste, transportation and environmental programs," Buell said.
Williams comes to the city at a time when Marysville has five major projects in the works this year totaling $54.3 million. Those are the State Avenue Improvement Project ($6.4 million); the wastewater treatment plant expansion and upgrade, which includes construction of 15,000 feet of pipeline ($40 million); a water filtration plant at Smokey Point ($4 million); improvements to the Edward Springs water system ($1.3 million); and construction of Waterfront Park ($2.6 million).
"Marysville has developed an excellent track record in managing its utilities and transportation assets efficiently," Williams said. "It will be a pleasure to work with professionals like these to meet the growth challenges facing the city."
Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.
