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Appointments committee recommends confirmation of Gardner City engineer Rob Oliver
Summary
The Gardner City Appointments Committee recommended the mayor's appointment of Rob Oliver to city engineer after members praised his local experience and current work on city infrastructure projects, including the rail-trail bridge design.
The Gardner City Appointments Committee on March 12 recommended that the full City Council confirm Mayor Nicholson's appointment of Rob (Robert) Oliver as city engineer.
Mayor Nicholson told the committee he was "very impressed with the work" Oliver has done, noting Oliver has served three years in the city engineering role and previously spent several years as assistant director of public works. The mayor said Oliver has overseen projects across water and sewer, managed the city's GIS division, worked to return city-owned properties to the tax rolls and taken the lead on the rail-trail bridge over Route 140 through the MassTrails program.
Oliver introduced himself as a Gardner resident with deep local roots, saying, "I love my job. I love working for the city that I live in." He told the committee he has been involved in the MassTrails-funded 75% design for the rail-trail bridge and said his office has applied for the next round of funding to finish the design and advance the project to bidding and construction.
Committee members praised Oliver's responsiveness and local knowledge. Councilor Kacinskas said interactions with Oliver "always get thorough, timely responses." Councilor Hagerman moved that the committee recommend confirmation to the full council; the motion was seconded by Councilor Kacinskas and carried on a voice vote.
The committee's recommendation moves the mayor's nomination to the full City Council for final confirmation.
Background: Oliver described day-to-day duties as heavy on public interaction and highlighted infrastructure needs across water mains and stormwater systems, and he said addressing stormwater will be important given future EPA mandates.
Votes at a glance: Measure 11472 — Recommendation to confirm Rob Oliver as city engineer. Motion by Councilor Hagerman; second by Councilor Kacinskas; outcome: recommended to full council (motion carried by voice vote).
