BATH

Andrew Deci is moving on after seven years as director of planning and development.

The city posted the job vacancy July 13; Deci’s final day will be Aug. 2.

Although he and family plan to remain in Bath, Deci on July 15 said he does not have another job lined up.

“I just need a break right now,” he said, expressing a desire to step away from government service. “… I’ve been doing this work for 14 or 15 years now, and I’ve done it in large communities, and in a smaller community.”

Because Bath is a special place to him, Deci said, “it’s oftentimes hard for me to separate my personal life from my professional life; that can really tire you down sometimes.”

“I really enjoyed my time in Bath, and am really proud of the things that we’ve been able to accomplish in the past … seven years,” he added.

He said he’s most proud of Bath’s advancements in pedestrian infrastructure. “Just more attention being provided to non-motorized transportation,” he said.

Prior to being hired in Bath, Deci was the planner in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He and his wife, Abby, had decided to move back to her home state of Maine, where she was hired as a kindergarten teacher at the Dike-Newell School in Bath. Deci left his Virginia job after five years, without the prospect of a job in Maine.

But before their 2011 move he learned about the availability of the city planner position, which Jim Upham had occupied since 1996.

Bath in 2017 reconfigured its Planning Department, hiring Ben Averill as city planner, to report to Deci. Averill will remain in that role, Deci said.

The city hopes to have a replacement for Deci by early September, and staff will split his duties in the meantime, Assistant City Manager Marc Meyers said Monday.

Alex Lear can be reached at (207) 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics