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City of Newberg Public Works Director Leaves Behind Legacy of Innovation
(NEWBERG, OR) – City of Newberg Public Works Director Jay Harris left employment Friday April 3rd with the City of Newberg after eight years to lead the Public Works Department in Shelton, Washington. Harris’ heritage family farm is located nearby Shelton and he has said this opportunity allows preparation of the property for his eventual retirement.
During his time with the City of Newberg, Harris led Public Works to improve efficiency and implement innovative practices. He focused on transitioning the department from reactive to proactive infrastructure planning and implementation. Harris reunified the three division departments, Water and Wastewater, Maintenance, and Engineering, into a cohesive team coordinating projects, plans, communication, transparency, and training. Some of his biggest accomplishments include the Spring Divestiture, the TUF Funding program, and establishing long range water rights for the City. He also directed staff to actively apply for grants. Under Jay’s leadership the City received numerous grants including $25,000 for water distribution supplies, $5,000 for redundant fuel storage tanks, $250,000 for a Solar Clean Energy Development Grant, and over $899,000 for seismic upgrades to the Newberg Public Safety Building.
During his eight years, Public Works returned to five year master planning practices in all aspects and reactivated the defunct accessibility portion of the 2007 Transportation Plan. Harris encouraged outreach to public schools and colleges on storm water, engineering, and sustainability and was the City’s primary advocate for Emergency Preparedness. Harris is best known for his collaboration with all staff from City mangers to the newest entry level employee. Every new hire got a personal tour of Newberg to improve knowledge about all the diverse functions and programs. He was well known for telling all staff to actively continue training and apply for openings as they could be the next City leader. Harris was well known for his energy and for saying “at the end of the day we are all in service to the community and each other.”
Harris joined the City of Newberg in January of 2012 as the City Engineer and was promoted to Public Works director in August of 2014. Russ Thomas, the current Public Works Maintenance Superintendent will serve as the City of Newberg Interim Public Works Director until a permanent successor is identified.
The City of Newberg thanks Harris for all of his hard work over the past eight years and wish him continued success in his new role.
