Paul May has always had a fascination with water.
When doing independent and group projects in school, he gravitated to work with water. Now, Burr Ridge’s public works director will be going to a position where he will focus on the distribution of water to the northwest suburbs.
May, who is nearing his eighth year at the helm of Burr Ridge’s Public Works Department, will leave at the end of this month to be the assistant director of the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency.
May will join the Elk Grove Village-based wholesale water distribution system which has 14 full-time employees and serves a customer base of seven municipalities with a combined daytime population of more than 500,000 and a proposed fiscal year 2016 budget of $58 million.
“I’ve always been drawn to the engineering part of water, to the side of public works that is public service,” May said. “Water is the only public works service that is physically consumed. It is unseen (how it gets into the home), but it is critical for life.”
May worked for St. Charles, Naperville and Harwood Heights before joining Burr Ridge as public works director seven years ago.
May said he has been appreciative of the challenges he has gotten in his role with the village.
“People in this town have high expectations. The Village Board has high expectations,” May said. “The village administrator has high expectations. That has suited me well because I have high expectations for myself.”
May said he has enjoyed working with community members and village officials to provide public services.
“People want top quality services. They are engaged,” he said.
The Oak Park resident said one of his fondest memories of Burr Ridge will be redoing the County Line Road bridge over Interstate 55.
“It is unique for all of Illinois,” May said. “It has a lot of precedent-setting items. It will stand the test of time. In 20 years, it will still be the marker (for a bridge project). It will define Burr Ridge for people who would otherwise just drive along I-55.”
May said he is also proud of the staff development he has done with personnel.
Having graduated from Valparaiso University with a civil engineering degree, May got his first public works experience with St. Charles.
“I found I liked it. I liked the variety every day, doing something different every day,” May said.
The public works director said he has enjoyed his time as a generalist, but looks forward to taking the next step in his career and become specialized in water issues.
May said he has thoroughly appreciated his time in Burr Ridge.
“There wasn’t a time since I arrived that I wanted two stay in bed when I woke up,” May said. “I value this community and my work here. I never wanted to do something else.”
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Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.