LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Kwan leaves Moraga after seven years on the job


Edric Kwan Photo Vera Kochan

Director of Public Works Edric Kwan announced his resignation to a stunned town council during the Nov. 13 meeting. He begins his new career in January with the County of Alameda as Deputy Director of Public Works, overseeing a staff of approximately 100 in the Engineering Department. His new position will allow him to solve problems on a grander scale due to Alameda County's resources, staff and funding.

Kwan reminisced, "There's a lot to miss about Moraga. I'm really going to miss this community. There's a true sense of teamwork and participation with the community that only a small town can provide." He added, "The week after I started with Moraga in June of 2012, the community held a staff appreciation event. It was at that moment that I fell in love with Moraga. It's been my experience that working with numerous public agencies that I've never seen that before, and I was so touched."

Town Manager Cynthia Battenberg said, "Edric started at the town in 2012, just before the passage of Measure K and was instrumental in developing the town's award-winning Pavement Management Program that has increased the town's pavement condition index from 49 in 2012 (Fair) to 74 in 2018 (Good)."

Battenberg added, "The Town was fortunate to have Edric at the helm of Public Works in 2016 when the Rheem sinkhole appeared as Edric provided strong leadership in fixing the sinkhole and obtaining FEMA reimbursement for the majority of the work."

Further recognizing Kwan's value to Moraga, Battenberg stated, "The town has benefited from Edric's ability to find and secure grant funding - for the Alta Mesa/Moraga Road intersection, Laguna Creek daylighting project, Canyon Road temporary and permanent bridges, Moraga Road resurfacing, and design work for the St. Mary's roundabouts."

Kwan is also pleased with the outcome of his involvement regarding the All Access Playground and restoring the Hacienda's Pavilion. However, he does regret that he won't be here to see the completion of the New Canyon Bridge.

"My one biggest disappointment is the failure of the storm water measure," Kwan said. "It did not provide me the desperately needed funds to manage the storm water system and avoid catastrophes such as sinkholes."

In retrospect Kwan's pride and joy was the Pavement Project. He nurtured it from birth when Measure K passed and feels that the results turned out much better than anticipated.

Council Member Steve Woehleke said, "As a (council) member, I am impressed at the number of Moraga residents who have complimented Edric's incorporation of their input into projects. In particular, the Public Works Department tackled three major road safety projects this year. In each case, these intersections posed significant pedestrian safety challenges, two of them involving children traveling to and from school. Edric led citizen engagement meetings and incorporated learnings into final designs."

Council Member Mike McCluer added, "Edric is very knowledgeable and especially easy to work with, always doing whatever it takes to help our town. He has worked on many of our large important projects. I will miss him!"

Kwan looks forward to serving a larger population, stressing "money doesn't motivate me. I took a pay cut coming to Moraga. What keeps me interested is the new challenges. I came here to do whatever I could to leave Moraga a better place if I ever left. I know that my work isn't complete, but I've done what I can to position my successor to take it to the next level."

Battenberg observed, "While Edric's professional accomplishments are significant, Edric's artistic PowerPoint presentations and attire, his ability to take a technical issue and make it easy for a lay person to understand, his loyalty, his passion for public works and his excitement about life in general are what make him special."