THOUSAND OAKS : Water Official to Get Added Duties

Thousand Oaks’ longtime water chief, Donald H. Nelson, has been named director of a combined utilities and public works department with 220 employees.

The move came just days after veteran Public Works Director John Clement resigned.

As director of the utilities department for seven years, Nelson has managed the city’s water use and overseen the Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant. His new duties will include responsibility for city streets, landscaping and vehicle maintenance. Nelson will also be in charge of all traffic-related projects, from designing intersections to installing street signs.

Although his workload will increase dramatically, Nelson said he felt confident he could handle the duties. “I still have some time on Sundays,” he said.

A trained civil engineer, Nelson has spent most of his career working with water issues but said he will have no problem taking over traffic and landscaping.

“I have never designed a traffic light, but plenty of people in this city have,” he said. “Their expertise is what’s important. We have so many really good people in both departments that all I hope to do is provide leadership and let them continue to do what they’ve been doing.”

City Manager Grant Brimhall said the consolidation of utilities and public works is part of his continuing efforts to streamline Thousand Oaks’ bureaucracy. Over the next few months, he plans to solicit ideas from employees on how to restructure other city departments.