PRESS RELEASE
City of Aspen Hires Mike Metheny as Chief Building Official
Contact: Jessica Garrow, Community Development Director, 970-429-2780 or jessica.garrow@cityofaspen.com.
Aspen, Colorado – February 7, 2019 – The City of Aspen Community Development Department is pleased to announce it has hired Mike Metheny as its new Chief Building Official. Metheny has worked for the City of Aspen for thirteen years, most recently as the Field Inspection Manager for the Building Department.
“Over the years Mike has proven he has a keen ability to be an influential leader. He exhibits an essential combination of strengths: the willingness to listen to our customers and make changes to our process to meet their needs while also upholding Aspen’s strict codes,” said Jessica Garrow, Community Development Director.
Other attributes that stood out to the hiring committee are Metheny’s calm and professional demeanor, attention to details and customer relationship skills.
The Chief Building Official plays a critical role in Aspen’s development landscape as it is the position that oversees all functions related to building and safety ordinances in the community. This position requires technical skills as well as relationship building finesse. The Chief Building Official also works to integrate innovation into Aspen’s building codes with relation to environmental health and sustainability.
“Aspen’s built environment impacts people every day and I am well aware of the work that goes into making it safe while also recognizing that we can continuously advance our code to allow for the best practices in technological and environmental innovations in the field,” said Mike Metheny.
The City of Aspen undertook a rigorous hiring process for this position, which included engaging the community in a meet and greet with all candidates.
“The Chief Building Officer has so much interaction with the community and really impacts how Aspen looks and operates from a safety perspective,” said Garrow. “It was essential that this be an inclusive process to get the best result for the City, the stakeholders in the construction and building industry, and the residents at large.”
Metheny takes over March 2 but is working on the transition with current Chief Building Official, Stephen Kanipe, to ensure a smooth change of leadership. Kanipe’s last day is March 1.
The public can reach Metheny at mike.metheny@cityofaspen.com