County engineers honored at annual NACE conference
Sue Miller
NACE president Tony Giancola and Dick Larson
Freeborn County Engineer Sue Miller was elected as North Central Region vice president for the National Association of County Engineers (NACE). Miller was sworn in at the annual NACE conference recognition banquet, held April 20, as part of the five-day conference in Bismarck, North Dakota. Miller, a graduate of North Dakota State University, has been Freeborn County Engineer since 1998, and is currently responsible for the maintenance of more than 600 miles of county highways and 178 bridges. Miller hopes to improve highway safety by giving county engineers and road managers "the tools they need to play a bigger part in reducing the number of fatalities," she said. Miller also said she will work to see the federal transportation bill reauthorized and extend NACE resources to areas with sparse funding and staffs.
NACE also recognized Mille Lacs County Engineer Dick Larson as the 2004 Rural County Engineer of the Year. Larson was recognized particularly for his coordination of a 911 emergency street address program, the first adopt-a-road program in Minnesota, and an effective wetland replacement program. "One might expect me to say my biggest accomplishment has been something I designed or built," said Larson, "but really life is a people thing. Working with people has been my most rewarding accomplishment." Larson, who has been the county's highway engineer since 1976, has also held leadership positions in several organizations, including president of the Minnesota County Engineers Association (MCEA).