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New Public Works Director begins

ABOVE: The city of Fairmont's new Public Works Director, Matthew York.

FAIRMONT– Fairmont’s new Public Works Director, Matthew York, started the role earlier this week. York brings with him over 20 years of relevant experience and was most recently working for a city in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, which had a population of over 80,000.

York replaces Fairmont’s former Public Works Director/City Engineer, Troy Nemmers, who left his position with the city last November. The city has since contracted with Bolton & Menk for engineering services. As public works director, York will oversee streets and parks, water/wastewater, airport and in-house engineering.

Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, York attended Iowa State University. Following graduation he taught high school social studies in Belmond, Iowa. He did that for several years before shifting careers, though stayed in public service.

“I found that working as a teacher, one of the big things is helping people achieve their goals. I still think that working for public service is the same thing. We’re trying to help people everyday and that’s what I enjoy about this type of work,” York said.

He expanded on that by saying that through public works he can help people with road or sewer issues, and while it might not be the most opportune time to talk to people, it provides a chance to help out.

York started working in public works in 2001. At that time he was an intern for the city of Bensenville, Illinois while working on his master’s in Public Administration at Northern Illinois University.

Most recently, he worked as a public works director for the city of Largo, Florida.

“It was structured a little differently. I was in change of solid waste, garbage collection, streets and stormwater,” York said, explaining that most cities structure public works differently.

As for what lead him to the position in Fairmont, York said that he was interested in getting back to the Midwest and some family the still lives in the area.

“I didn’t know anything about Fairmont when I first applied for the job but it seemed like an interesting community on the cusp of doing some good things. It’s also not retracting like a lot of mid-to smaller-sized cities are. It has some benefits for people to come to town,” York said.

When he came to interview and met some city staff, he said it felt right.

“Everybody is kind, cordial and welcoming. It’s different than the Chicago-land area where I worked for 19 years or the Tampa Bay area,” York said with a laugh. “I’m not from here, but everyone makes me feel like I’m welcome to be here.”

In July, York’s wife and two daughters will be joining him in Fairmont. His oldest will be a college freshman in New York this fall and his youngest will be entering as a freshman at Fairmont High School in the coming school year.

While York has only been on the job for several days, he has been briefed on some upcoming projects. There is extensive work planned for Gomsrud Park and the Sylvania Park Band Shell this summer.

“I’ve been working with the rest of my staff on our projects. There’s some road projects we’re trying to get moving forward,” York said.

Along with being focused on bringing projects to fruition, York plans to work with staff on the budget. He said he wants to ensure budgets are tight and where they need to be so that they’re not expending more than they need to be.

“The first part of my job really is getting to know the people. I want to make personal connections so we can make things better in the long run. It’s not a sprint race, it’s a marathon. It takes a little while to get going,” he said.The city of Fairmont’s new Public Works Director, Matthew TY

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