BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Mike Nevin, the new Storey County Public Works director, stands in front of a snow-covered Virginia City on Dec. 22.
Storey County didn't have to look too far to find a director of Public Works to replace the retiring Richard Bacus.
Michael Nevin, 52, a former county fire chief and lifelong Virginia City resident, was chosen out of 11 applicants to take over the job of Storey County's Public Works director.
"It will be huge shoes to fill," he said. "But I'm up to the challenge. I hope to do as fantastic a job as Richard has done."
Nevin said he has lent a hand to Bacus plowing roads after heavy snows.
Nevin, a salesman for L.N. Curtis and Sons Fire Equipment Co., was the county fire chief from 1980-2000 and also worked for the Nevada Division of Forestry from 1974-98, when Storey's fire chief position became full-time.
The position pays between $70,085 and $95,520, depending on experience. The director will supervise seven full-time employees and additional seasonal workers.
The Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining county roads, the water and sewer system, county buildings, parks and the swimming pool in Virginia City.
Nevin's time as fire chief gives him the administrative experience in managing the department's budget and supervising employees, he said.
Nevin said he is familiar with the job and the county, including the north end communities of Lockwood, Rainbow Bend and the Tahoe Reno Industrial Park. He said the industrial park will require a lot of his attention, along with other outlying areas of the county.
"It's going to be some intense work the first year getting certifications for water and sewer and getting a feel for how things are," Nevin said.
Commissioner Greg "Bum" Hess said some of the 11 applicants didn't want to move to Storey County, one of the requirements for the job.
Nevin said being a local resident helped him get the job.
"I have a pretty good handle on how the county operates as a whole," he said. "It helps, coming from here. I think that's one thing they wanted, to hire locally."
Nevin is married to Virginia, and they have three grown children and four grandchildren.
• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 351.