County road superintendent retiring

Staff Writer

[email protected]

Stephen Reed has been a leader in the Curry County Road Department for many years, but at the end of the day he said he is just a guy that likes to play in the dirt.

Reed plans to retire as Curry County road superintendent on Dec. 31. In this position Reed spent countless hours behind the wheel, leading a team of 17 employees to maintain more than 1,300 miles of county roads for a population of more than 50,000 citizens. Although he could take credit for many successful projects, he prefers to highlight the accomplishments of his team.

“The thing I'm most proud of is the other employees, the guys that work under me. They are the ones that do all the work…they are always more than willing to go out and help,” Reed said.

Lora Followill, the administrative assistant for the county road department, said that as a boss, reed is easy to work with and very understanding.

“We will miss him a lot. We are not looking forward to his retirement,” Followill joked.

During his 19 years of service, Reed has overcome many challenges and adapted to changes in the responsibilities of his position. In addition to working with the public, the superintendent has to keep up with increased state regulation and requirements for building new roads, and make time for increased involvement in committees, boards, and meetings.

“It used to be more hands on,” Reed said. “Through the years it has changed.”

Despite spending more time behind a desk over the last few years, Reed said he still made time to check on the roads in the county.

“I would get out on the road grader and go blade roads, mainly to clear my head a little bit,” Reed said.

After retirement Reed plans on remaining in Clovis and spending time on his hobbies and with his grandchildren.

Although the leadership in the office will change, Reed said the employees in the county department will continue to work hard for the citizens of the county.

“I feel like we do an excellent job’” Reed said. “Our guys are very conscientious about the jobs they do and they try to do the very best job they can. I would like for people around the county to try and understand where we are coming from and what we are trying to do.”