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ENLARGE
Robb Paul, the Douglas County public works director, stands on a piece of the old Brown's Bridge over the North Umpqua River west of Roseburg. The bridge is undergoing reconstruction.
When Douglas County Public Works Director Robb Paul was growing up, his family members built their own house. It gave him an early appreciation of seeing things put together and having them remain for a long time.
“It was fun physically building something and at the end of the day, when you left, you saw something that you had built, something was accomplished and you could go back and say, ‘I did that,'” Paul said.
That fascination with building objects led Paul, 52, to become an engineer. The Roseburg native attended Umpqua Community College for two years and then earned his degree from Oregon State University in Corvallis.
“I can go out and drive projects that I've had a hand in, either designing or constructing, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment that you did something tangible that you can see out there,” Paul said. “Of course, if it didn't come out right, then you can go back out and say, ‘I would do that different if we had the chance to rebuild it.'”
Paul, who served as Douglas County engineer from 1995 to 2002 before being promoted to public works director, started his professional career working for the Boeing aircraft company in Everett, Wash.
He plotted repairs to the wing assemblies of the 747 aircraft to fix minor problems from the manufacturing process, such as when a hole would be drilled too close to the edge of a part.
“My job was to come up with repairs to those because you're not going to throw away a $3 million to $4 million wing because it's got a couple of holes that were drilled wrong,” he said.
After a year there, Paul took a job with the Oregon Department of Transportation, which was beginning a project constructing nine bridges and retaining walls on Interstate 5 at Curtin. He was hired as an inspector on that project in 1980.
He was initially stationed in Eugene, then was moved to Roseburg, where he worked on projects along Highway 42 in Camas Valley and on Roberts Mountain on Interstate 5 near Winston. He was later promoted to assistant project manager in Eugene and in 1986 became a project manager.
He later moved to Grants Pass and then was transferred back to Roseburg in 1992. During that stint, he worked on the widening of Northeast Stephens Street and on a straightening and widening project on the North Umpqua Highway near Steamboat.
In 1995, Paul went to work for Douglas County as the county engineer after Warren Poland retired. The county promoted Paul to public works director when Jim Irwin retired. At the same time, the county combined the public works position and the engineering job.
Paul supervises a crew of 90 workers and a budget of $28.8 million.
“Robb is a consummate professional. He is quietly effective and efficient and is what I call a go-to guy,” Commissioner Joe Laurance said.
The number of employees in the department has shrunk from 121 four years ago, due to cutbacks from decreases in the federal timber safety net. The cutbacks have been made from workers retiring and others quitting.
With further cuts next year, Paul said he may reach the point where he will have to lay off employees who want to keep working, a prospect he doesn't relish. At the same time, his department is shifting its focus from construction projects to maintenance ones, trying to keep roads and other infrastructure in good running order.
He must also deal with the prospects that the landfill has about eight years of capacity left. The county is currently considering trucking at least a portion of its garbage south into Jackson County. The county cannot afford the $25 million it would cost to expand the existing landfill or to find a new location at a higher cost.
The county currently pays about $4 million a year to operate the landfill and transfer stations. It would cost about $5 million to truck trash elsewhere. The Board of Commissioners will have to decide whether to continue to allow people to dump their garbage for free or whether to start charging for the service.
In his spare time, Paul serves on the board of directors for the Umpqua Community Development Corp., which assists lower-income families in obtaining affordable housing and sells reclaimed building materials. He also flies an airplane.
Paul learned to fly when he was a teenager, earning his pilot's license when he was in high school. His wife, Patty, is also a flight enthusiast and soloed at age 16, before she could drive.
The couple have one adult son, Jared, a student at Portland State University.
“I haven't been able to use the flying too much in my work, but it's still a hobby that I like to play with,” Paul said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
“It was fun physically building something and at the end of the day, when you left, you saw something that you had built, something was accomplished and you could go back and say, ‘I did that,'” Paul said.
That fascination with building objects led Paul, 52, to become an engineer. The Roseburg native attended Umpqua Community College for two years and then earned his degree from Oregon State University in Corvallis.
“I can go out and drive projects that I've had a hand in, either designing or constructing, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment that you did something tangible that you can see out there,” Paul said. “Of course, if it didn't come out right, then you can go back out and say, ‘I would do that different if we had the chance to rebuild it.'”
Paul, who served as Douglas County engineer from 1995 to 2002 before being promoted to public works director, started his professional career working for the Boeing aircraft company in Everett, Wash.
He plotted repairs to the wing assemblies of the 747 aircraft to fix minor problems from the manufacturing process, such as when a hole would be drilled too close to the edge of a part.
“My job was to come up with repairs to those because you're not going to throw away a $3 million to $4 million wing because it's got a couple of holes that were drilled wrong,” he said.
After a year there, Paul took a job with the Oregon Department of Transportation, which was beginning a project constructing nine bridges and retaining walls on Interstate 5 at Curtin. He was hired as an inspector on that project in 1980.
He was initially stationed in Eugene, then was moved to Roseburg, where he worked on projects along Highway 42 in Camas Valley and on Roberts Mountain on Interstate 5 near Winston. He was later promoted to assistant project manager in Eugene and in 1986 became a project manager.
He later moved to Grants Pass and then was transferred back to Roseburg in 1992. During that stint, he worked on the widening of Northeast Stephens Street and on a straightening and widening project on the North Umpqua Highway near Steamboat.
In 1995, Paul went to work for Douglas County as the county engineer after Warren Poland retired. The county promoted Paul to public works director when Jim Irwin retired. At the same time, the county combined the public works position and the engineering job.
Paul supervises a crew of 90 workers and a budget of $28.8 million.
“Robb is a consummate professional. He is quietly effective and efficient and is what I call a go-to guy,” Commissioner Joe Laurance said.
The number of employees in the department has shrunk from 121 four years ago, due to cutbacks from decreases in the federal timber safety net. The cutbacks have been made from workers retiring and others quitting.
With further cuts next year, Paul said he may reach the point where he will have to lay off employees who want to keep working, a prospect he doesn't relish. At the same time, his department is shifting its focus from construction projects to maintenance ones, trying to keep roads and other infrastructure in good running order.
He must also deal with the prospects that the landfill has about eight years of capacity left. The county is currently considering trucking at least a portion of its garbage south into Jackson County. The county cannot afford the $25 million it would cost to expand the existing landfill or to find a new location at a higher cost.
The county currently pays about $4 million a year to operate the landfill and transfer stations. It would cost about $5 million to truck trash elsewhere. The Board of Commissioners will have to decide whether to continue to allow people to dump their garbage for free or whether to start charging for the service.
In his spare time, Paul serves on the board of directors for the Umpqua Community Development Corp., which assists lower-income families in obtaining affordable housing and sells reclaimed building materials. He also flies an airplane.
Paul learned to fly when he was a teenager, earning his pilot's license when he was in high school. His wife, Patty, is also a flight enthusiast and soloed at age 16, before she could drive.
The couple have one adult son, Jared, a student at Portland State University.
“I haven't been able to use the flying too much in my work, but it's still a hobby that I like to play with,” Paul said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
