The City of Santa Clarita’s Director of Public Works, Robert Newman, was recently recognized as the 2013 Leader of the Year in the public sector category by the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association.

Newman was notified by a representative of the organization in early November and the Santa Clarita City Council recognized his accomplishment at the November 26, 2013 regular City Council meeting. Newman will receive his award from the APWA at the 14th Annual Awards luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Newman was nominated by the City and members of APWA for his time and dedication to the Public Works profession and for his myriad of accomplishments throughout his career. Newman was commended for his leadership roles in the $245 million, 10-year Cross Valley Connector project, the enhancement of Magic Mountain Parkway at Interstate 5, and the new 30,000 square foot Old Town Newhall Library, among others.

All of these projects were completed during the Great Recession when funding was a challenge, but Newman pulled together public and private entities to ensure they were completed for the betterment of the community.

In addition to these projects, Newman oversaw construction of Central Park, three Metrolink stations, the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, and has helped the City and its residents recover from federally-declared disasters, including the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

“Robert Newman is a leader in every sense of the word,” said Mayor Bob Kellar. “He is not only respected within our City family and this community, but his expertise, proven track record of success, and dedication to public works and public service have made him one of the most respected professionals in his field. We are very fortunate to have him here in our City.”

Newman’s career has included nearly 20 years at the City of Santa Clarita, as well as time working with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the cities of Calabasas and Pasadena, Newman Surveying and Engineering, and California State Polytechnic University. Newman has served as a board member for more than five years with APWA, and during his time in Santa Clarita has served on the boards of many nonprofit organizations.

City Council acknowledges Newman and his library construction team’s accomplishment.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) has presented the City of Santa Clarita with the “2013 Project of the Year Award” for the Old Town Newhall Public Library. Each year the Southern California Chapter selects a public works project completed by a public agency and recognizes the agency for their outstanding achievement. The Chapter covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties with more than 1,400 members. Every department in the City helped in some way to provide this wonderful library to the citizens of Santa Clarita. But at the City Council meeting, the following project members were recognized:

* Director of Public Works, Robert Newman

* Curtis Nay, Assistant City Engineer for Capital Improvement Projects

* Harry Corder, Senior Engineer, and the Project Manager for the Library

* Francisco Lujan, the Assistant Project Manager for the Library

* John Spalione, the Project Engineer for the Library