News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Brad Grimm will take the reins of the City of Sisters Public Works Department on July 2.
For Grimm, who has worked as a project manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation for 10 years, the new position is a kind of homecoming.
"I live here in Sisters," he said. "My wife (Misty Grimm) works here for RE/MAX, and my four kids go to school here. It's nice to be able to work in the community you live in."
Grimm brings the city experience in managing large, complex projects, with qualifications as a certified land surveyor and a background in water rights law.
"He's not a certified water rights examiner, but he knows Oregon water law," said City manager Eileen Stein.
That's important right now because the Public Works Director will be managing the disposal of water rights on the Lazy Z property that the city acquired for expansion of its waste management capabilities. The city must determine how much water right to keep and what can be donated to conservation.
"I want to be able to turn over the Lazy Z Ranch management to him," Stein said.
Gary Frazee is stepping away from the position after 20 years of service. However, he's not going far. He will serve as Public Works Operations Director, managing the "outside work." Frazee has said that that is where he is happiest and best able to serve the community.
"I think it's ideal that Gary's going to be working here because you have that wealth of experience," Grimm said.
The 33-year-old said his family came to Sisters like most do: to enjoy the quality of life afforded by a small community. Keeping those values in the face of growth is the major challenge Grim sees in the job.
A big piece of managing growth is the transportation system. While Grimm's background is with ODOT, he said he does not have an opinion on if or how the city should proceed with a couplet.
"I have no weigh-in on (the couplet)," he said. "I haven't been involved on that side of the house with ODOT."
Grimm said he is "big on public involvement" and is emphatic that he wants to do what is best for the city, regardless of his current position.
"I definitely won't bring a bias from ODOT," he said. "I work for the city now."
Grimm is also involved in the community in his private life - as a Little League coach.
Stein said that the public works staff responded well to the hiring of Grimm.
"They were hoping we'd hire someone who would jump in a snowplow if needed and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty," she said.
Grimm is game on all counts. In fact, the hands on, face-to-face nature of the work is part of what attracted him to the job.
"It's personal," he said. "That's what I like about it."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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