Big changes are a-hoof in Woodside’s Town Engineering Department! Kent Dewell, Woodside’s longtime Assistant Town Manager and Town Engineer, is retiring. Mr. Dewell, who has worked for the Town of Woodside for more than 13 years, had originally announced plans to retire in 2006, but will now be leaving in January of 2008. According to Town Manager Susan George, he will stay on to wrap-up various programs he has been involved with, including the just-opened Barkley Fields project.

Paul Nagengast, the former deputy city manager and head of public works in Half Moon Bay, has been hired by the Town to fill his position. Mr. Nagengast has worked for Half Moon Bay in a variety of capacities since 2003, and before that worked as an assistant city engineer for Beverly Hills in Southern California. Paul will begin working for the Town as of December 3rd. Be sure to check COW’s site soon for his contact information on our Contact Town page. We want to give a big Howdy and welcome to Paul.

In other Town engineering news, Richard Chiu, Senior Civil Engineer for Woodside, has accepted a position with the community of Los Altos Hills. During his extensive career with the Town, he has overseen work on the Town’s roads along with a host of other duties. We wish him well in his new job.

We were sorry to hear Susan George report at the November 27, Council meeting (MOO-Tube in the first couple of minutes) that Kent was recently seriously hurt while on vacation in Chile. He apparently injured his head in a fall and required hospitalization. He is home now and on the mend. We join the entire Woodside COW-munity in wishing him a speedy recovery!

Best wishes to both Kent and Richard in their new endeavors. We hope that Paul will be a positive new presence in the engineering department.

With new Council members and new Engineer, this is a good opportunity to change the status quo and begin real change. Reading this site thoroughly brings home how much needs to be done to correct some real problems. Let’s hope this will be a new start towards that end.

Anonymous, spot on. I could’nt have said it better.

Change is good. Lets keep it up!

While I am hopeful this signals a new and better engineering department; I cannot help but have anything but a pessimistc view about any “changes” as long as Hope Sullivan is there.