County Engineers Association of Ohio (CAEO) names Lucas County Engineer as "County Engineer of the Year"
From left, CEAO Executive Director John Olivieri, Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski and CEAO President and Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti.
(LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio) – Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski received top honors as the 2024 County Engineer of the Year at the 144th County Engineers Association of Ohio Winter Conference in Columbus Thursday. This award was given out at the annual three-day conference for his exemplary service to your community as well as his leadership and contributions to the CEAO.
“I am honored to be recognized by my peers of the County Engineers Association of Ohio as the County Engineer of the Year for 2024,” Pniewski said. “While the Engineer is recognized, the honor truly is the result of the efforts of an outstanding team of public servants at our Office serving the Citizens of Lucas County every day. I thank them and am proud to lead our Office to better serve Lucas County.”
“I am honored to be recognized by my peers of the County Engineers Association of Ohio as the County Engineer of the Year for 2024,” Pniewski said. “While the Engineer is recognized, the honor truly is the result of the efforts of an outstanding team of public servants at our Office serving the Citizens of Lucas County every day. I thank them and am proud to lead our Office to better serve Lucas County.”
Pniewski started at the Lucas County Engineer’s Office in 2017, as Chief Deputy Engineer under then County Engineer Keith Earley. He took over for Earley when he retired in 2019 and has continued to serve as the County Engineer, winning reelection to the post this past November. The office is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of 287 miles of county roads and 194 bridges along county and township roads.
Prior to his time at LCEO, Pniewski worked as an engineer for over 10 years in the private sector, has been an adjunct professor in civil engineering and land surveying universities including the University of Toledo and worked for seven years for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District at their Toledo Project Office. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in six states including Ohio, and a licensed Professional Surveyor in Ohio and California.
In his five years as County Engineer, Pniewski has made significant strides to improve the safety and efficiency of our transportation system with projects like the installation of 32 modern roundabouts along county roads, some in partnership with Ohio Department of Transportation, to reduce injury and fatal crashes. But he’s also shown leadership and pushed for more collaborative efforts with city, county and state partners that have brought long-term improvements to the area.
“During my 5-year tenure as Lucas County Engineer, we are proud of our focus on improving the safety of the public by receiving funding to implement, now, 32 roundabout intersections, receiving a $24.6 million Safe Streets and Roads for All highway safety grant, and the implementation of the Dorr Street Interchange on Interstate 475,” Pniewski said.
Many of these projects will have a longstanding effect on the future of Lucas County. Other significant improvements have also come within the office with the creation of City Works, an asset management system, that has helped to centralize and manage all of our road assets and help save taxpayers money.
“We are always seeking ways to make our office more efficient,” Pniewski said. “To this end, during my tenure, we developed a computerized, geographically locatable asset management system so we can track the condition of our assets and better allocate our funds to address issues where they are most needed.”
Prior to his time at LCEO, Pniewski worked as an engineer for over 10 years in the private sector, has been an adjunct professor in civil engineering and land surveying universities including the University of Toledo and worked for seven years for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District at their Toledo Project Office. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in six states including Ohio, and a licensed Professional Surveyor in Ohio and California.
In his five years as County Engineer, Pniewski has made significant strides to improve the safety and efficiency of our transportation system with projects like the installation of 32 modern roundabouts along county roads, some in partnership with Ohio Department of Transportation, to reduce injury and fatal crashes. But he’s also shown leadership and pushed for more collaborative efforts with city, county and state partners that have brought long-term improvements to the area.
“During my 5-year tenure as Lucas County Engineer, we are proud of our focus on improving the safety of the public by receiving funding to implement, now, 32 roundabout intersections, receiving a $24.6 million Safe Streets and Roads for All highway safety grant, and the implementation of the Dorr Street Interchange on Interstate 475,” Pniewski said.
Many of these projects will have a longstanding effect on the future of Lucas County. Other significant improvements have also come within the office with the creation of City Works, an asset management system, that has helped to centralize and manage all of our road assets and help save taxpayers money.
“We are always seeking ways to make our office more efficient,” Pniewski said. “To this end, during my tenure, we developed a computerized, geographically locatable asset management system so we can track the condition of our assets and better allocate our funds to address issues where they are most needed.”
