Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Sweet Home’s new utilities manager is native Steve Haney, will provide oversight over the city’s contract with Jacobs Engineering, which operates and maintains the city’s wastewater and water treatment plants.
Haney went to work for the city on June 10. The city recently created the new position and funded it as part of its 2019-20 budget, adopted in May by the City Council.
“Right now, his job is to hold them accountable to the contract and outline the work that should be done regarding both maintenance and operations,” said City Manager Ray Towry. As part of his initial “to do list,” Haney will conduct an operational audit and an equipment audit.
“It’s the city’s biggest contract,” said Public Works Director Greg Springman. “It’s a big expense.”
The city pays Jacobs some $1.06 million per year to run the plants, Springman said. Haney will track repairs and help decide who is responsible for paying for work at the plants.
“We need to know what they’re doing,” Springman said. “We need to have good oversight.”
Prior to accepting the position with Sweet Home, Haney was Jacobs’ plant manager for Sweet Home.
Putting someone with Haney’s experience on the staff will give the city a good look at the operations at the plants, he said.
Haney will “help manage the Jacobs contract and hold them to their legal obligations with the citizens,” Haney said.
“(Haney) is one of only 25 people in the entire state of Oregon that has the certifications that he has for both wastewater and water treatment,” Towry said, noting that Haney has experience in different places and has seen different treatment processes.
“He’s also very familiar with our system,” Towry said. “He’s a Sweet Homian, so he is home, and he’s also intimately familiar with Jacobs and their operations.”
Haney, 44, grew up in Sweet Home, graduating with the Class of 1993.
He attended Linn-Benton Community College, earning an associate of arts transfer degree in 1996. He worked in the high-tech industry as a contractor, with time spent at Hewlett Packard, until 1999, when he returned to LBCC to earn an associate’s degree in water and wastewater technology. He graduated again in 2001.
After graduation, he was a treatment facility operator in Albany. After about five years there, he went to Oregon State University and earned a bachelor of science in management of information systems with a minor in economics. He graduated in 2008 and went to work as a technology analyst at the Salem Wastewater Treatment Plant. He THEN went to work for CH2M Hill, later purchased by Jacobs, in October 2016.
For Jacobs, Haney worked in Lebanon, Coos Bay and then Sweet Home beginning in August 2017.
“This is my town,” he said. “My parents still live across the river from the Wastewater Treatment Plant.”
He can see his Dad’s shop across the river when he goes to work at the plant, he said.
He wanted to work in Sweet Home, Haney said.
“It’s driving in today, guys putting out flags, saluting each one,” Haney said. “The town cares about itself.”
Haney was already familiar with city personnel, he said, and “the city’s technology is really refreshing. They’re really progressive.”
Haney lives in Albany with his family. He is married to Angela Haney, who works at OSU as the director of student services for the College of Pharmacy, so they split the distance to work, but Albany is within his minimum distance from Sweet Home. They have two children, Roxanne, 15, and Joseph, 13.
He said he is in the ideal position because “this is my town.”