Pitkin County Public Works director to retire in May

Brian Pettet, Public Works director for Pitkin County, will be retiring in May after more than 30 years of work for the county. 

“The thing that I’m most proud of working for the county are the people that I worked with … especially the people at Public Works,” Pettet said. “To work with folks like that and see them grow and be part of their growth as individuals was probably the most rewarding.” 

He began his career with Pitkin County in March 1992 as a superintendent of Roads and Bridges when he was 26 years old. At the time, Roads and Bridges handled the maintenance and snow clearing of roads around the county.

After working that position for a few years, he became deputy director of Public Works, before becoming director at 32 years old. 

“The county provides all kinds of improvements and maintenance to infrastructure,” Pettet said. “I’ve been part of that, not only on the county side, but I’ve also had the benefit of working with the state of Colorado and the city of Aspen on improvements to the highway.”  

Pettet grew up in Indiana and went to Purdue University, initially to study agriculture — he came from a farming background and thought that’s what he should do. 

After leaving Purdue prior to graduation, he began work for the Indiana Department of Transportation, plowing snow in the winter and working as an engineer in the summer. According to him, he never would have found his way to the public works career without his time there. 

“If I wouldn’t have had that stint of three years with Indiana Department of Transportation, I wouldn’t even have gotten an interview for the Road and Bridge job with Pitkin County,” he said. “It’s just funny, when you look back on life and your history, how you can sew those different events together that lead to who you are today and where you are today. I still can’t believe it sometimes.” 

Pettet eventually went back to Purdue to study and finish a degree in organizational leadership. He also studied for a Master’s of Business Administration at Colorado State University during his time in Pitkin County. 

While Public Works director, he oversaw innumerable Public Works projects and functions, including general maintenance of roads, bridges, snow plowing across the county, fleet management, Pitkin County Solid Waste Center management, the beginnings of the solid waste center expansion and capital improvement projects like highway underpasses for pedestrians, Owl Creek Road paving, the construction of several bridges and more. 

The Public Works director position interfaces with the heads of various Public Works departments to ensure the smooth and continual operation of county assets while also maintaining a working relationship with the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners. This enables the department to execute on the elected officials’ mission. 

“He brings such a great perspective and energy to the position,” Andrew Knapp, Pitkin County engineer, said of Pettet. “Having been here for so long and seen so many things, he is a great mentor and guide to help with my own career development, working with the public and working with our elected officials — something he is really good at.” 

Pettet said he owes his success in the director position to a mix of focusing on the execution of the public works department and allowing individuals the space to accomplish their own goals by giving them space and respect.

“The balance is there,” he said. “You’ve got to be focused on the job but also understand that in order to get the job done, it’s going to take a team of individuals to accomplish that. If you’re treating them with respect and honoring them as individuals, that’s going to make getting that job done easier.”

Knapp highlighted that ability to let individuals flourish as one of Pettet’s strengths in the director position. 

“What was so great about Brian is his ability to let his staff succeed while he is in a supporting role,” Knapp said. “Some supervisors are afraid to let their staff do their job or potentially make mistakes. Brian gives you room to grow and challenge yourself while at the same time being supportive.” 

Pettet is focused on making progress on a litany of projects before he departs the county on May 1, especially the Pitkin County Solid Waste Center expansion. While ground has been broken on the expansion project, the county still needs to secure a contractor to begin work on the facilities, according to Pettet. 

Following his departure from the county, Pettet does not have any immediate plans, though he does intend to stay in the Roaring Fork Valley. 

“This is my home,” he said. “I was born and raised somewhere else, but this feels like where I grew up.”