Rumors that Richland Public Works Director Pete Rogalsky planned to retire seemed to have been confirmed last week when the city started advertising for someone to fill his position. Rogalsky has been with the city almost 30 years.
The Observer reached out to Rogalsky, all city councilmembers, and the city manager for comments but there has been no response.
According to an article in a 2004 edition of the Tri-City Herald, Rogalsky began working for Richland in 1994 as an engineer. According to LinkedIn, he became Director of Public Works in 2004. He received a civil engineering degree from UCLA in 1984.
Rogalsky has aggressively sought state and federal funding for transportation projects in Richland, including for the changes in Jadwin Avenue and George Washington Way in downtown Richland. It appears that he might not be at the helm when the “couplet” of one-way streets open.
According to the advertisement for the job opening on the city of Richland website, applicants should have at least five years in a senior management role in public works. The targeted pay range is $146,120 to $175,344. The first review of applications will be on August 10.
Richland will be losing a great asset whose “boots will be hard to fill.”
I appreciate your comment and I agree. Thirty years of experience is hard to replace. I was particularly impressed with how hard he worked in 2021 seeking funding for Richland transportation projects. I linked to that story. He knows the ropes. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy
Richland will have place him in a position of dealing with the last mess he has created. We have had nothing but unplanned and uncoordinated. mess for transportation with the cities of West
Kennewick, Pasco, DOE AND DOE COTRACTROR consuming our road Maintenace budget, resulting in the short fall of funds for the bridge across the Yakima and with his help to dig himself out of the hole made proposed the establishment of TBD for Richland which resulted in 10 dollar license fee for by Richland’s citizens
.which the previous city manager a year later said wasn’t needed for the bridge, the bond for the bridge turned out to be used for road maintenance.
I won’t even get into all the projects he has brought forward to the council to approve, and the money developers and construction companies have made at the expense of neighborhoods on each side of the Yakima River
Good move by the NEW CITY MANAGER.
ROBERT BENEDETTI.
Hi Bob, I appreciate your comment. Public Works Director Pete Rogalsky is retiring after 30 years with the city of Richland. The city councils make the messes. Rogalsky just implements. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy