Rockford mayor names interim public works director

Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — City Engineer Tim Hinkens will take over as the interim public works director on March 22 after Kyle Saunders leaves the city to become chief strategy officer for Fehr Graham.

Hinkens has spent the past decade in the city’s Public Works Department Engineering Division. Before that, he worked for 11 years at an engineering consultant firm in Rockford with a focus on land development and transportation.

“Tim has been a valuable member of the city team for a decade. He has done an incredible job planning and managing millions of dollars of infrastructure and construction projects,” Mayor Tom McNamara said in a news release. “Tim is well-respected among his staff and peers, and I’m confident he will do a fantastic job leading the Public Works Department during his tenure.”

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Saunders, who started with the city as a summer intern in 2008 and became public works director in July 2019, announced his planned departure in November.

Hinkins will retain his current position as city engineer, a job he has held for six years, as he takes on the interim role.

As interim director, he will oversee the implementation of current initiatives such as the $322 million, five-year capital improvement plan.