Sherburne County Administrator Steve Taylor said farewell to co-workers, staff and other government officials during a retirement party Wednesday.

 

Taylor announced earlier this year he was stepping down to begin a new chapter in his life after more than five years with the county. 

 

“I’m going to rest for a few months. During that time we’re going to Europe,” said Taylor. 

 

Then he plans to teach Public Administration part-time as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus.

 

“I’ve been teaching at the University of Minnesota as an adjunct professor for five semesters,” he said. “It’s an online course.”

 

During last week’s county board meeting, Taylor spoke about one of the biggest challenges during his time at Sherburne County - the Government Center Expansion Project.

 

“This is my first and last board meeting in this newly-renovated board room,” he said. “And I think it’s fitting to provide the board with a project update.”

 

The expansion included 100,000 square feet of new space and 130,000 sq. ft. of renovation over a 34-month period.

 

The project was a month to six weeks late, partly because of bad weather, the millwork subcontractor not meeting their schedule,  the re-sequencing of move groups due to furniture issues, labor force shortages in some the trades and the discovery of bad soil.

 

“I don’t know how many soil borings we had, 20, 25?” he said. “We had some other issues we encountered, but we had great cooperation from the architect and the construction manager to make up time. If I didn’t already have gray, hair I would have gotten a lot of it.”

 

Taylor said the original estimate for the project was over $71 million, but by cutting out some items and the board making tough decisions, the budget was reduced to $61.2 million.

 

“To date, including future pay applications and obligations, the county has spent $58.9 million,” said Taylor. “We’re looking at being below budget by a little bit more than $2 million. That is a tribute to the department heads and the hundreds of staff that was involved in this.”

 

Taylor said he has had nine bosses (commissioners) during his five years with the county. When the idea of expansion was first discussed, then tabled in 2007, the board began saving money each year for the future project. Those savings paid for about a third of the project.

 

“They were extremely supportive of this project,” he said. “Without the board’s support this would not have gotten off the ground.”

 

Board Chair Tim Dolan said Taylor was instrumental in helping the newest commissioners transition into their position.

 

“Having never been in an elected position before along with two other new commissioners, we came in here into the middle of a construction project with a lot of stuff going on,” he said. 

 

“I think the five years you’ve been here, the amount of projects you’ve undertaken and steered while keeping staff morale at a really high level and putting out some fires along the way, is a very admirable thing in an organization this size. I can say for myself and the board, I don’t think we could have asked for a better person to steer us through those events and we wish you the best of luck in your ongoing journey.”

 

The board presented Taylor with a plaque recognizing his contribution to the county.

 

Taylor thanked everyone who worked as a team during his time at the county. “Local government was something I was made for,” he said.

 

“I’m not going to stop, I’m just going to change directions a little bit.”