By Bruce Karnick

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Lengthy careers at one employer seem to be fewer and farther between these days. Thankfully, the City of Hastings was the benefactor of the lengthy career of Tom Bakken. Bakken began his career as a brick and stone mason in 1976 and joined the City of Hastings as a building inspector in 2000. The following is the communication release courtesy of the City of Hastings website.

Today we say good-bye to Tom Bakken, who is retiring after serving as the City’s Building Official for the past 20 years. Tom began his duties with the City in 2000 after a 24-year career as a brick and stone mason. He started at a time when the City’s former high school was just being torn down. It has been replaced by the Green Mill. One of his first inspection jobs was the new high school building.

“I was told I was responsible for inspecting all residential buildings and one commercial property, and that was the high school,” Tom said. “There have been many news developments since then and our department has been involved in inspections and code enforcement for hundreds of properties.”

When Tom started, South Pines was the only housing development on the south end of town and the downtown area was not thriving. “My biggest thrill over the years has been seeing the downtown area develop into an attraction for residents, businesses and visitors,” he said. “There’s a vibe downtown now with the new bridge, new Riverwalk and more stores.”

Tom has also seen commercial development throughout the city, including the building of the Walmart store, Target store remodels, and the building of the School House Square area, to name a few. Of course, he’s seen residential development too. A big part of his job has been to keep current with all the laws and code changes.

Tom said he will miss his staff and the people of Hastings. “This is the best staff we’ve ever had,” he said. “They can handle anything.” In a letter to the editor in the December 24 issue of the Hastings Journal, Tom wrote: “. . . I want to express my gratitude for the excellent support this city has given me. I have enjoyed working with the city employees, City Council (past and present), developers, contractors, engineers and architects, and community members.

“I will never forget the friendships, fun times, and challenges that I experienced in Hastings,” added. “I will always cherish and hold close to my heart everything about Hastings, what working here has taught me personally, and the true sense of community that characterizes the town.”

“I hope during the years I worked here, the projects we had built from the ground up, additions, or remodeling done, that the building codes left the city with safer and more resilient structures,” Tom wrote.

Tom loves to downhill ski and was presented with a set of signed antique Hart skis today from City co-workers. Tom is an avid downhill skier, and you can find him on nearby slopes. He and his wife Kendra plan to spend more time at their lake home and home in the country with their new puppy, Kelsey, and possibly on the road in a future RV that Tom plans to purchase. Thank you, Tom, for your service, dedication, and commitment to the City of Hastings. You will be missed.

Replacing a long-term employee with decades of experience is difficult, so who will be taking his place? Travis Dunn from Red Wing who also has a history in construction. Bakken and Dunn have had a chance to talk, “I think he’ll be fine,” Bakken said.

What will Bakken miss the most? “I think, you know, I mean, construction was in my blood. So dealing with the contractors, and it just, I’m a people person, I just miss contact with the public and contractors,” Bakken said.

What he will miss the least is a bit more complicated and it took him a moment to figure out how to say it. “Dealing with the MET Council,” He laughed, which is referring to all the extra fees that need to be explained in the sevencounty metro area.

As mentioned in the city press release, Bakken plans to spend a lot of time Skiing. “My goal is to ski my age every year, one day for every year, I’m old, I just turned 66, I gotta ski 66 days. But you know, I’ve had some job offers. And, you know, everybody says take a year off. So maybe a year from now, I’ll reconsider, maybe work on my schedule, you know, maybe two, three days a week,” Bakken Explained.

He does plan on staying involved with the building community. “We’re AMBO, the Association of Minnesota building officials, and I think I’ll stay involved in that the planning and the implementation side,” Bakken added.

While his expertise will be missed at the city, it’s safe to say his ability to engage folks will be missed by the public. His knowledge and approach is a key factor in his longevity within the city, something we all can learn from.

Tom Bakken’s gift from his co-workers were old style Hart skis signed by the city staff. Enjoy your retirement, Tom! Photo courtesy of the City of Hastings.