City of Newberg
Russ Thomas serves as the Public Works Director for the City of Newberg since October 2020, following a brief tenure as Interim Director of Public Works. With over four decades of experience in public works, Thomas has managed the operation and maintenance functions for the Public Works Department, including streets, storm drainage, wastewater collection, and water distribution systems. A leader in the Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association, Thomas held positions as President and Past President, contributing to the direction and representation of public and private sector professionals. Additionally, Thomas was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Oregon Utility Notification Center and coordinated the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival as Chairman. Thomas has a diverse background, including real estate sales and naval service as an Operations Specialist.
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City of Newberg
The City of Newberg is the governing authority of Newberg, a town with a population of 23,306 (2016) located in the beautiful Chehalem Valley (Valley of the Flowers) on the Willamette River, about 25 miles southwest of Portland, Oregon. The City of Newberg provides police, street maintenance, library, public improvements, planning and zoning, water and sewage treatment services. The City enjoys a highly diverse economic base. Many of the City’s “home-grown” businesses have become leaders within their respective industries, such as dental equipment, electronics and manufacturing. George Fox University, offering bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, adult degree programs, and 12 master’s and doctoral degrees; a branch of Portland Community College; and Providence Newberg Medical Center are located in the City. Newberg is conveniently located near the many assets of the Portland metropolitan area, the community also retains a distinct physical separation from the metro region, buffered by a greenbelt of rural forests, rolling hills and agricultural lands. The community is on the threshold of some major changes. Construction of the second phase of the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, a major state highway project is underway. This project has been 30 years in the planning and will result in truck traffic being taken out of the historic downtown Newberg. With this will come the continuing renaissance of the downtown area. The City recently adopted the new Downtown Improvement Plan for re-vitalization of the downtown area. The Newberg 2030 (Urban Growth Boundary expansion) Plan along with an update to the Riverfront Master plan is also in the planning stages.