Maple Grove’s New Public Works Director Up To Speed on Demands of Growing City
Two months into the job, and new Maple Grove Public Works Director Chris LaBounty is taking stock of what’s under his supervision: hundreds of pieces of equipment and dozens of employees all working to keep the city moving–and growing.
“It definitely feels like a big job and there’s a lot of moving pieces,” he said. “Having a great team around you and a lot of support from city council and our residents, makes it a lot easier.”
LaBounty comes from the City of Plymouth, where he was city engineer for several years.
Maple Grove’s new public works director, Chris LaBounty, has been on the job a couple of months.
“I like to be hands-on in being able to solve problems, and being a great city to live, work, and play,” said LaBounty of his philosophy. “A big part of my job here moving forward is making sure we have the right resources in place to maintain that infrastructure and make sure we’re keeping it as top-notch as it is today.”
He pointed to key development projects on the horizon that he feels he’ll have a big role in.
“A big project happening this year is the 610 project,” said LaBounty. “It’s not too often that a city is taking the lead on such a large infrastructure project, but that’s really important to how the city continues to grow and making sure that residents and people visiting our businesses can move freely throughout the city.” LaBounty said he expects he’ll keep the lines of communication open among city hall, county officials, and the state capitol as this project–and others–move forward.
Meanwhile, he says he knows a big part of his job is to keep the city’s residents, business owners, and visitors happy.
“We try to do a lot of the things that make life normal for people every day to day: plowing and taking care of the streets, making sure that sinks turn on, toilets flush, trails can be used for people walking and biking,” he said.
