For almost three decades, Kent Baker, of Boalsburg, has thought about all the details that go into community improvement projects.
When he was working on making a roadway safer, renovating a facility or upgrading a park, he was focused on the details, making sure he paid attention to all the little things that make a project come to life. But, as of Friday, May 18, Baker, College Township’s engineer, will be started on the next chapter of his life, filled with projects of a different sort. Baker has retired.
It’s a bittersweet time for him as he leaves the people and projects that have taken up so much of his life these past 29 years. Baker recently took time to look back on some of the little memories and big projects that impacted his work and the community over the course of his career.
“What I’ve always enjoyed is making sure the details of the project worked out,” Baker said.
He has many fond memories of all the growth and development in the township he has witnessed — and actively been involved in — over the course of his career. Land development, in particular, is one area of his career that particularly stands out.
“I can’t really point to one specific project,” he said. “But all the land development in both commercial and industrial areas have been a big part of my career. And, reviewing all the subdivision plans. And, the Penn State facilities — the athletic and ag services buildings that are in the township.”
Other things that he worked on during his long career are road projects.. He said the Puddintown Road turn back project stands out in his mind, as does Houserville Road across from the old Sheetz store, which underwent significant improvements.
He said he remembers projects completed with the state Department of Transportation, such as resurfacing Warner Boulevard, which saw drastic changes, including lowering the speed limit, adding bike lanes and a walking path, and improvements to the intersection at Brandywine Drive.
Park projects also were important to him through the years, including putting a footbridge at Spring Creek Park and ongoing renovations to the restrooms there, which should be completed by the first week of June, he said.
Something else Baker saw change and evolve during his tenure with the township was the actual township building. He said the facilities were much different when he started in his position. They were housed in a metal building at the front of the parking lot at its current location, before it came to be the building it is today.
He said he’ll miss the work, but mostly he’ll miss the people.
“It’s hard to summarize everything I’ll miss about the job. Mostly, it’s the people I’ll miss. I’ll miss working with the township office staff, council and planning commission, the parks and rec committee, as well as all the other agencies. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people through the years,” Baker said.
Baker has called Happy Valley home since he moved here to take the job in 1989. His family started out in Colorado, then moved to Virginia. His sons were 6 and 3 when they moved to Centre County. Now, his sons are in Philadelphia and Denver, but Baker and his wife remain in Boalsburg, where he hopes to spend the start of his retirement doing projects that focus on his home and his life.
“I plan to get caught up with a backlog of stuff at home,’ said Baker. ‘I turned 67 not long ago and decided that was a good time to retire.”
He wants to spend more time hiking and biking in Rothrock State Forest. And, one project he’s really looking forward to is helping his wife, who has multiple sclerosis, write a children’s book — a goal that they have had for quite some time.
By the end of the year, when these projects have been accomplished, Baker said he sees himself getting involved again in public service.
“When you do this type of work, there are a lot of regulations that come with the job, and the people who are here are cognizant of that.
‘I’ve been pretty involved with all the new people who have come here through the years and have been part of creating the philosophy here — a philosophy of service to the community.”
