The City of Ames is bidding a fond farewell to a respected city official this month. Paul Wiegand, the Ames public works director, will be retiring at the end of January. He has been the director for 17 years and has been with the city of Ames for 31 years.

Wiegand is not planning on retiring from the career completely, but he is ready for a change, he said.

‘I”m looking, after 31 years, to try a different challenge,’ he said.

Although Wiegand hasn”t decided what his next move will be, he is certain he will leave city government work. Wiegand won”t be switching careers immediately because he plans on taking some time off.

‘First order of business is to take a vacation with my wife to Hawaii,’ he said.

Wiegand graduated from Iowa State in May of 1972 with a degree in civil engineering. After working in Charles City for two years, he returned to Ames to begin his long partnership with the city.

Wiegand worked as a civil engineer for two years before moving up to traffic engineer. He stayed at that position another two years before accepting the position of municipal engineer.

In August of 1988, he became the director of public works for Ames and has remained at the position ever since.

Wiegand said being able to make a difference in the community was one of the best things about his job.

‘It has been a real joy to see the community grow appropriately and to be able to meet the needs of the growing community,’ he said.

Wiegand also loves the social aspect his job demands of him.

‘The biggest enjoyment is working with people of the community to address the concerns and questions they have, and to develop projects that address those concerns,’ he said.

In the years working with the city of Ames, Wiegand has made an impression both on the city itself and on the people with whom he”s worked.

‘He”s an individual that is going to be very hard to replace,’ said Lynn Brennan, public works administrative assistant.

John Joiner, municipal engineer, has worked with Wiegand for 12 years and will become the acting director of public works upon Wiegand”s retirement on Jan. 28.

‘He”s very knowledgeable, very professional and good at what he does,’ Joiner said. ‘He”s been a good person to observe and work with.’

Joiner says he is ready to step-up to the responsibilities of director.

‘I think that it will be a fun challenge,’ he said. ‘[Wiegand has] been a great mentor.’

Paul Wiegand

• Public works director

• Education: Bachelor”s degree, civil engineering from Iowa State University in 1972.

• Worked as a traffic engineer, civil engineer and municipal engineer for the City of Ames before becoming the public works director.

• In 1988, Wiegand became public works director.

• In his time, Wiegand has dealt with issues such as the proposed new mall near 13th Street and Interstate 35, the pedestrian walkway program, and managing growth in west Ames.