Shawnee County picks new public works director who was construction manager for Kansas Expocentre project

Shawnee County commissioners on Monday hired a new director for the county’s public works and solid waste departments and picked a company to serve as construction manager for a high-dollar Kansas Expocentre renovation project.

Commissioners Kevin Cook, Shelly Buhler and Bob Archer voted 3-0 to appoint Curt Niehaus as director of public works/solid waste effective Oct. 29, at an annual compensation of $117,000.

Niehaus “rose to the top” as commissioners interviewed several candidates for the job, Cook said. Tom Flanagan has held the position on an interim basis since Tom Vlach, who previously held the job, left last month to take a position in Des Moines, Iowa.

Niehaus has been working as Topeka Metro engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation. He said Monday he has lived in Shawnee County for all but six years of his life, and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Kansas State University.