WESTFORD CENTER – Town Engineer Paul Starratt received the American Public Works Association’s National Professional Manager of the Year Award in Engineering and Technology on May 20, recognizing his nearly two decades of leadership, innovation, mentorship and dedication to the Town of Westford and the public works profession, the Westford Public Works Department announced.
“As a public servant, growing up in a family of public servants, my greatest joy and most fulfilling moments in Westford were spent helping residents,” Starratt told The Westford Villager on May 28, when asked for his reaction to being honored with the award.
“Nothing was more satisfying than being contacted by a resident or business owner who started a conversation with less than flattering comments about town government, but by the end of the conversation, they were saying, ‘thank you.’ I have a stack of thank you cards and letters on my desk that has grown to an impressive pile over the years. As a town engineer, my job is fundamentally about solving problems – and that stack of notes on my desk is a constant reminder that helping people solve their problems is the greatest reward in my profession.”
Starratt said he came to Westford with distinct advantages allowing him to prevail in a very competitive field. One of these advantages was that he came from a family with generations of experience in public service in Lynn. Starratt’s father retired as building commissioner after 31 years of service, while his mother was a school nurse. His sister worked in community development, his uncle was a district fire chief and his cousin was a captain in the fire department.
“I could have been the city engineer in Lynn, but I wanted to strike out on my own and create my own reputation based on my accomplishments and not just my family name,” Starratt said. “The National Public Works Award is one of the accomplishments that I am honored to receive as a milestone in that journey. Being part of a team that has successfully completed several large infrastructure projects is the basis of the American Public Works Manager of the Year in Technology and Engineering recognition. None of the work that we have completed here in Westford has been an individual effort, but it represents the strong work of multiple people working together. Every team member had a job to do, and together, we got the job done.”
Throughout his tenure as town engineer, Starratt has overseen major projects in town, including:
- Boston Road Reconstruction Project
- Minot’s Corner Intersection Project at Boston Road and Littleton Road
- New traffic signals at Oak Hill Road, Dunstable Road and Tadmuck Road
- Stony Brook Bridge Historic Restoration
- Beaver Brook Bridge Replacement
- Fire Training Facility
- New Sidewalks at Plain Road, Farmer Way, Jack Walsh Field, Carlisle Road and Oak Hill Road
- Stormwater Enterprise Fund
- Establishment of the Department of Public Works
In addition to these projects, Staratt also worked on several other roadway and drainage projects, stormwater initiatives, as well as project updates and educational videos aimed at making complex infrastructure work easier for residents in town to understand.
“Paul has helped shape the way Westford plans, communicates and invests in infrastructure,” the Westford Public Works Department said in a statement on May 21, following their announcement of Starratt’s award. “From securing more than $50 million in transportation funding, to advancing stormwater and sustainability initiatives, to modernizing the Engineering Department through technology and transparency, his work has had a lasting impact on our community.”
Public Works said Starratt received his award from the New England Chapter at the National Public Works Week Awards Luncheon and will also be formally recognized at the APWA National Conference in Houston this August.
Deeply committed to his role in public service, Starratt is also known to many residents as a mentor, problem solver and innovator.
“Paul approaches innovation with a ‘curious but cautious’ mindset — embracing new ideas and technology while always maintaining accountability, public trust, and a focus on serving residents,” Public Works’ statement said. “We are fortunate to have Paul’s leadership, knowledge, and vision here in Westford.”
