5.1. SR 09-06-2005
Item # 5.1.
,.c\.ugust 22, 2005
Stepl1en Rohlf - Resignation
It is \~litll bOtll excitement and sadness tllat I l1ereby resign my position as Building and
En\Tironmental-t."-\d1ninistrator \~lidl tlle City of Elk Ri'Ter, effecti,Te Septelnber 23, 2005. I
vvilllmss \vorking for tlle citizens of tllls community and the excellent staff I ha,Te been
blessed \vidl, but I am excited to face ne\v cllallenges and economic re\vards.
I knO\~l I Ila~le been tagged as being long\vinded, but bear \vitll me. Lifter 21 years I Ilave a
little to say.
I quit lny job as a forest ranger in .L"-\laska to COlne Ilome to be \vitIl my dad, \vl10 \vas dying.
I took a job \"vidl tlle city as a $7 per llour part time building inspector. S110rtly aftel~v-ard I
\vas duust into tile position Building and Zoning .L\dministrator \vllen my boss quit. .t\ job I
nev.er fOlmally accepted, by tile \vay, or expected to stay in. Dick Hinkle was ~vfayor at tlle
time and he con'Tinced me to try it for a \vlllle. \\!ell, 21 years later I feel it is no\v tilne to
lea\Te.
It \vas tougll in those first fe\v years \vidl tlle city. Elk Ri\Ter \vas just starting to experience
tile grO\vtll boom. It \'laS lne al1d a secretal)T doing all of tlle planning, env1ronmental and
builcfulg inspections for tlle city. I even plo\v-ed sno\v- for free as a salaried elnployee for a
couple of years because \ve \vere so sllort staffed. So lny department \vasn't holding
someone up \vl10 \vas tl)iing to lnake a living I did inspections on Saturdays and plan cllecks
on Sundays. In lny office at tlle "Old Crealnel)i" tllere \v-ere places on lny desk you didn't
dare lea\Te papers in tlle \,,-inter because sno\v- \v-ould ch-ift througll tlle windo\v. But \~ve felt
an obligation as public sel\Tants and \ve lnanaged.
No\v \ve Ila\Te a nice ne\v facility and enougll staff to do tlUngs rigllt. Someone like me is
probably not needed as lnucll as I once \vas. TIle ne\v Corrununity Dev'elopment Director
can add to \'vllat has already been built Ilere.
I belie'le I can look back on SOlne significant contributions to tllls cOlnmuruty ov.er tlle past
nvo decades:
)r TIle fust \"vritten comprellensive plan for tlle consolidated \Tillage and T o\'vnsbip (\V-e
started tllls process \vitll a citizen sU1\Tey so tlle plan could reflect tlle v'ision of tile
people li'\Ting here).
)r TIle f1tst lnaster park plan and tile acquisition of tlle Railroad Hiking Trail.
)r Organized garbage collection and curbside recycling.
)r TIle creation of a Hel1.tage Presel\Tation Commission.
};;. TIle successful application and creation of Energy City.
~ Successful negotiations \Vitll tlle Elk Ri\Ter Landfill to \Toluntarily subject tllelnsel\Tes
to city regulation (Elk Ri\~er \vas tlle first city in tlle state to license a landfill).
};;. Con,\Tincing nine gra,\Tellnining companies to subject tllelnSelv"es to city regulation
and \Toluntarily participate in an En\Tironmental Ilnpact Statement (Elk Riv.er's
regulation of its grav'el indUStl)i is still being used througllout tlle state as an exalnple
of Ilo\v it sllould be done).
.,.,. Successfully arguing \v-itll tlle DNR tllat connnercial uses in tlle do\vnto\vn area
SllOuld not be nonconforlning (a battle dlat took SL"'\: years).
~ TIle dredging of Lake Orono (dlis is tile only titne in nventy plus years tllat I can
relnelnber dle City Council getting a standing o\~ation at an asseSSlnent Ilearing).
Finally I'ln lnost proud of de\~eloping a modern Building and En\Tuonmental Departlnent
\\ritll a professional staff tile city can be proud of. Don't take tllem for granted. TIley l1a\7e
lnore contact \v-itll tile public and need lllore continuing education to keep current in a
lligllly tecllrucal field tllan any otller group of city elnployees.
I\ly Ileart \vill al\vays be in tlus cormnurnty. I \Tery lnucll appreciate tlle 21 years tllat tlle tax
payers of Elk River fed my falnily. I lea\~e you \'vitll tllls last dlougl1t, al\,\7ays remelnber
you're llere to serve tlle public. I \vorry that tlle bigger tlle city gets tlle lnore unpersonal it
gets to\vards tllose it sel\~e.
Tl1ank you and good bye,
..///~~ ,/~ff
-' Stepllen Rolllf