Search continues for new public works director

Wednesday, March 6, is the deadline for applications

By Scott Aust, Journal staff | Thursday, March 06, 2008

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Mayor Alan Hanks said Wednesday he hopes to have a new public works director hired within 30 to 45 days.

"Depending on the availability of the person we offer the job to, we want to have the position filled within that time," Hanks said.

Former Public Works director Dirk Jablonski was suspended for undisclosed reasons and resigned last week after a three-year tenure with the city. Robert Ellis, city engineer, was appointed acting public works director.

Hanks said the city started advertising the position on the city's Web site and in various other publications and on Internet sites last Friday; Wednesday, March 6, is the deadline for applications.

"After Dirk resigned, I wanted to move quickly," Hanks said about the week-long application window.

Hanks also didn't want a repeat of the scenario the last time the city replaced a public works director. After Dan Bjerke was fired in 2003, the city went almost two years without a permanent public works director.

"I don't want to go through that. I think it's important that we get somebody on board right away," he said. "We're a wonderful community to live in, and I'm pretty confident we can find a qualified public works director."

After reviewing applicants' qualifications, Hanks will select four or five finalists to bring in for interviews. He said he is looking for someone with experience both in administration and in engineering.

"We'd like to have somebody with experience in a community at least our size. The public works director has different responsibilities than a typical engineer because they are more of an administrator than they are an engineer," Hanks said.

According to the job posting on the city's Web site, applicants should have at least a bachelor's degree in public administration, engineering, technology management, planning, business or a related field and five years of experience in public administration.

The salary range for the position is $84,593 to $128,731 per year, though the anticipated starting salary is somewhere between $84,593 and $91,104.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com