Zimmerman named County Engineer of the Year

Seneca County Engineer Mark Zimmerman was selected as the 2020 County Engineer of the Year in recognition of his service to the County Engineers Association of Ohio during the organization's virtual annual meeting. The association awards an engineer who demonstrates outstanding service to his or her community and to the state. Zimmerman said he has served on various committees such as those handling the County Surface Transportation Program, local bridges and the Highway Safety Program Committee as well as working on the Bridge and Small Governments Committee. "(This year) was a challenging year for county engineers as the pandemic cut off in-person training for federally-mandated load rating of bridges under county control," he said. "I, with the assistance of others, developed training material and remote-learning opportunities for county engineers and their staffs to satisfy this compliance. As a result, thousands of bridges across Ohio were able to be found in compliance with the federal rule." Zimmerman said he was surprised to be presented the award. "Being an active part of an organization is always a choice," he said. "This choice is made easy when the organization is made up of 88 of the most educated, committed and professionally licensed people in the state of Ohio." He said each engineer contributes to the organization, and members learn and share their experiences with one another. "For me and my part, there is no greater professional honor than being recognized be ones peers," he said. "There are so many that do so much with so little that are deserving. I am humbled with this honor." Zimmerman said he also would like Seneca County residents to know he is honored to serve them as their engineer. "My dad always told me that one of the secrets to success is to surround yourself with great people," he said. "That I have done. I work with extraordinarily talented people from the tax map office to the county garage to the office. Together we strive to increase the level service of our highway system to promote economic development and job creation while always striving to build a safer tomorrow. We cannot do that without you." According to the county engineer's website, his office maintains an infrastructure that includes 403 county-maintained bridges, more than 390 miles of county roads, 1,400-plus culverts, thousands of signs and hundreds of miles of roadside tile and ditches. Bridges and roads are evaluated annually and are prioritized according to a five-year master plan that involves local, federal and state funding. The office is funded through state gas tax and state license fees. "We receive no revenue from the county General Fund, property taxes or sales tax," the website information said. Grant funding comes from a variety of sources including the Ohio Public Works Commission, Federal Highway Administration and the Ohio Department of Transportation.