Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Rio Rancho's Public Works Director Leaving

By Rosalie Rayburn
Journal Staff Writer
    Rio Rancho has lost another top- level city staffer.
    The city's Public Works director John Kolessar resigned last week, less than three months after Rio Rancho lost city engineer Ken Curtis.
    Kolessar said former City Manager Jim Palenick brought him to Rio Rancho in 2004 to help launch the city's ambitious plan for a new downtown. Much of that work is now complete and it's time to seek new challenges.
    "I just thought there might be more to do out there," Kolessar said in a phone interview on Monday.
    Kolessar oversaw such landmark projects as the building of the Santa Ana Star Center, City Hall, the expansion of Unser between Abrazo and Farol and building the first stage of Paseo del Volcan, from Unser to Iris.
    Kolessar said he hopes to find another position in the area. He prefers to continue living in Rio Rancho; his wife and one daughter teach in the Rio Rancho school system. Another daughter is attending the University of New Mexico.
    Kolessar will continue in his position until May, while the city launches a national search to find a replacement.
    Lisa Vornholt, the director of Parks Recreation and Community Services, will serve as acting public works director until a permanent replacement is found, city spokesman Peter Wells said, in an e-mail.
    Vornholt has been a licensed civil engineer for more than 26 years and has served in several positions in city and county government for more than 20 years, Wells said.
    "Lisa Vornholt is very familiar with the city. I'm confident that we'll be able to muddle through," said City Manager Jim Payne.
    The public works department is responsible for overseeing the design, construction and maintenance of city infrastructure such as roads, sewers, city buildings and city vehicles.
    Overseeing the provision of roads, water and utilities to the new V. Sue Cleveland High School, under construction off Paseo del Volcan, is one of the department's top priorities, Payne said.
    Kolessar was hired as public works director in August 2004. He previously worked in a similar position in Bay City, Mich. Palenick was city manager in Bay City before becoming Rio Rancho's city manager in 2003.
    Palenick was fired in December 2006 and is now the city manager in Gastonia, N.C.
    Curtis left his post as city engineer in December. Scott Sensanbaugher, the city's engineering manager, has been acting city engineer since then.
    Some of the city engineer's duties have been assigned to the public works director's position and the city is no longer recruiting for the city engineer position, Wells said, in his e-mail.