If you walk or drive in Rio Rancho, Ken Curtis has played a role in your life. But you don’t have much time to say thanks.

Curtis, Rio Rancho’s city engineer, will be leaving his job Dec. 7 to take a position in Cortez, Colo.

The man who has overseen Rio Rancho’s road construction and much of its recent development, Curtis could be called the “Father of City Hall.” He was the city’s point man in both planning the infrastructure and working with architects and general contractor Gerald Martin in constructing the new structure.

And in his current role he was largely responsible for the planning and construction of hundreds of miles of roads and sidewalks in the City of Vision.

Curtis will be in charge of the Dolores Water Irrigation District, a series of channels and dams in southern Colorado, similar to the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

“It will be more in the field, more fun and less meetings,” Curtis said. “It will be something new and exciting, more about water than roads. But definitely less meetings.”

In addition to representing the city on numerous boards and commissions regarding development and transportation, Curtis is also the past president of the New Mexico chapter of the American Public Works Association.

In addition to being his own boss, the main reason Curtis is leaving is to be closer to family. Curtis is originally from Colorado and his in-laws live in Cortez.

 “I am sorry to see him go,” said John Kolessar, the city’s director of public works. “He has tremendous institutional memory that can’t be replaced. He will be missed.”

Kolessar said the city will conduct a national search for Curtis’ replacement and he hopes to name an interim replacement sometime this week.

The city’s engineering division does all the engineering and technical services for city departments, including design work and contract administration for streets, bridges, sidewalks, drainage and other public works projects.

The engineering division is responsible for the planning and design of improvements to existing bridges and roads, working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) to improve the city's transportation system

In addition, the engineering division is responsible for development review, drainage system and transportation planning, traffic engineering (including stoplights), land acquisition and management, and construction management and inspection.

 “He’s been a great asset to the city,” Mayor Mike Williams said. “He will be sorely missed by everyone, including the developers.”