County Engineer Reflects on a Road Well Traveled
While he is not originally from Geauga County, Andrew Haupt has haunted its many roads much of his life.
While he is not originally from Geauga County, Andrew Haupt has haunted its many roads much of his life.
“I was born and raised in Euclid,” said the recently-appointed county engineer in a March 19 interview. “Chardon’s always kind of been a memory.”
Haupt’s aunt and uncle owned a farm in Rock Creek. He recalled getting stuck by the trains passing through Chardon on Water Street while visiting when he was younger.
“We’d get to go to McDonalds, it was a big thing,” he said.
The Road to Engineer
Haupt attended both Lakeland Community College and Cleveland State University, and recalled taking multiple classes for fun while figuring out what he wanted to do.
“Eventually, I settled on — civil engineering was the target, ‘cause that was the closest thing to what I knew growing up with my dad (and) construction sites,” he said.
The outdoors aspect of civil engineering also appealed to Haupt. Having worked a brief stint in a factory, he found he preferred being outside.
“Civil engineer projects, it’s the interstate, it’s bridges, it’s the roads, water and drainage and all the things you don’t really think about, but everybody uses,” he said.
Haupt began working for the county full time in 1996 before switching to surveying while he worked on getting his surveying license.
He has also worked for the Ohio Department of Transportation on large infrastructure on Interstate 77, including the Hall of Fame Bridge in Canton. He later transferred to Cleveland, where he became the assistant bridge engineer.
Former County Engineer Joe Cattell asked Haupt about returning to his Geauga post around 2013.
“I thought about it,” Haupt said. “I was like, yeah, it’s time to come home and go back and be a part of something that’s closer to the heart.”
Ending up in public office was not something he had previously considered, he said.
“It was never a, ‘That’s what I’m going to do.’ It was doing the work. I grew up working with my hands and building stuff, and public speaking — I don’t know if it comes naturally to anybody, but that was definitely not my forte growing up,” he said.
When Cattell retired earlier this year, it was suddenly Haupt’s turn to serve, he said.
The work in Geauga is a lot more personal than on the interstate because on the interstate, customers fly by, while in Geauga, you’re in someone’s front yard and might later run into them in the store, Haupt said.
An Eye to the Future
While the general public may be aware of his office’ responsibilities regarding snow/ice removal and road maintenance, most are unaware of its surveying role, Haupt said.
“That’s not a real well known fact that the tax map office, we are responsible for,” he said, explaining how the engineer’s office will review surveys done by private surveyors to make sure they’re meeting a standard.
No matter the project, there will always be a survey involved, he said.
Haupt’s goal as county engineer is to maintain the excellence his department has already achieved while continuing to evolve.
“We’ve built up an infrastructure here that’s pretty incredible,” he said. “When you leave the county, you know it.”
The engineer’s office has also been keeping up with advancements in technology, such as sharing information in an online format.
“Our website has been developing for quite some time and there’s some pretty impressive things on there that were never there (before) that are being used by many different people. Genealogists, just historical records kind of a thing,” he said.
Haupt also enjoys researching and developing technology and techniques for longer-lasting roads and bridges, he said, adding his office continues to keep an eye on those advancements.
Building Personal Bridges
While Haupt has been involved in a large and varied number of projects across his career, it is the relationships he’s built over the years that stand out, he said.
“I still see these people and they still remember me,” Haupt said. “The personal bridges I’ve built, they last forever. All the other physical ones, they’ve probably been repaved or repainted by now, some are over 20, 30 years old.”
Being in public service versus the private sector is a choice, Haupt said, adding public servants are there to help people, not to get rich.
“You’re part of something bigger. You’re taking care of your county, your home, your backyard, your neighbors, your family, your friends,” he said. “What we do here affects everybody that we know.”
He advises any newcomers to the field to consider the long game.
“(Public service) not for everybody, but you’re part of something bigger,” he said. “You make a difference.”
