Ridgefield Public Works Director Chuck Green has announced his retirement, set for June 30, 2025, after more than four decades in public service.
Green, who has held the director position since January 2023, said he looks forward to traveling with his wife and remaining active in the community.
“Serving the Ridgefield community as Ridgefield’s public works director has been incredibly fulfilling,” Green said in a news release. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and confident in the city’s future. While I look forward to retirement, Ridgefield will always hold a special place in my heart, and I plan to stay involved in the community.”
City Manager Steve Stuart praised Green for his leadership during a period of significant infrastructure growth.
“Chuck’s leadership and dedication have left a lasting impact on Ridgefield’s infrastructure and community,” Stuart said in a news release. “His expertise and passion for public service have been invaluable during a period of tremendous growth and large projects. We wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”
Green has played a key role in Ridgefield’s largest-ever infrastructure projects, including the Pioneer Street Widening and Discovery Drive Roundabout, which is expected to be completed in fall 2025. He also led work on the Royle Road and Wells Drive Roundabout, water infrastructure improvements and the city’s first Roundabout Committee advisory group.
Green will assist in the transition to a new public works director. The city plans to begin recruitment for the position within the next two weeks.
Council approves wetland mitigation project
On Feb. 27, Green presented a contract for the Pioneer Widening/IQCU Wetland Mitigation Planting project to the Ridgefield City Council. The project, which began on Jan. 13, aims to mitigate environmental impacts caused by the ongoing widening of Pioneer Street. The project is expected to continue until April 22.
During the meeting, Green explained the significance of the wetland mitigation effort.
“One of the elements of this project is we are impacting wetlands,” Green said. “It’s a big project.”
The mitigation project covers approximately 1.5 acres of plantings on a parcel that is partly county-owned. The work will take place over seven years, with an initial three-year planting phase followed by a four-year monitoring and management period. The work includes the removal of invasive plants. The city partnered with IQ Credit Union, which contributed $125,000, covering roughly 44% of the total cost, while the city is responsible for the remaining 56%.
“IQ Credit Union said, ‘We’re a bank. We don’t plant. We don’t maintain plants. We are a bank,’” Green said. “So they gave us money in lieu of planting plants to basically blend with our project to do a whole bunch of wetland planting.”
The Ridgefield City Council unanimously approved awarding the $282,961 contract to Riparia Environmental. The project will be supported by community volunteers, coordinated through the Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington.
“When they added up using volunteers instead of having consultant staff go do the work, the same amount of work is a savings of about $125,000,” Green said. “This is not trivial as to what volunteers contribute to the community and to projects like this.”
Councilor Rian Davis expressed enthusiasm for the project but raised concerns about logistics given the ongoing construction in the area and the site’s adjacency to other businesses.
“I think this is awesome,” Davis said. “I guess the point that came up to me was how quick this is gonna happen, which normally I would say is fantastic, but we’ve got a little bit of activity already going on in that area. I’m curious about the impacts of having a bunch of volunteers there and the logistics ... are they gonna park at Ridgefield Dental? Has that been cleared?”
Green explained that volunteers are set to launch from Mountain View Dental’s parking lot to avoid construction zones. The first volunteer event is expected to take place in April.
