NORWALK, CT — The city’s Department of Public Works recently hired a new principal engineer with over 20 years of experience in design and management work for municipalities.
Jim Meehan, who began his new position in late February, said he is looking forward to helping Public Works meet various challenges while taking on high-priority projects to best serve Norwalk residents.
“As of now, I am learning the various infrastructure that the department is responsible for, as well as projects that the engineering department is undertaking,” Meehan said in an email to Patch. “Like many municipalities, there is a variety of continuous challenges that keep engineers busy.”
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A licensed professional engineer in both Connecticut and New York, Meehan previously served as a senior engineer for Greenburgh, N.Y., according to the city’s Facebook page. His areas of expertise include roadway construction, stormwater management, bridge inspection and repair, sidewalk design, traffic safety measures and project management.
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“Throughout much of my career, I’ve always been interested in municipal work,” Meehan said. “It offers a variety of challenges and potential solutions. A municipal engineer can find themselves inspecting bridge damage one day and trying to resolve a stormwater situation on a roadway another day. A coastal city like Norwalk offers more unique challenges for various reasons.”
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Meehan said he was excited to learn Norwalk is committed to installing green infrastructure to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance its environmental resiliency efforts.
These types of improvements involve several departments, including engineering, Meehan said.
“[Mayor Harry Rilling’s] office has made it a priority to continue to upgrade our infrastructure, including our green infrastructure,” Meehan said, “and modernize our paving program while making improvements that further enable multi-purpose roads that are safe and user-friendly for all modes of transportation: drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.”
Though he has only been on the job for a few weeks, Meehan said he is impressed with the skill level of his co-workers and looks forward to working further with them.
“In the short time that I have been here, I can tell that the city has a very competent engineering team,” Meehan said. “This includes our experienced engineers and inspectors, as well as our junior engineers, who are eager to work hard and learn more about their field. I’m thankful to be part of a great team.”
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