Martin Appointed To West Hartford Community Development Post

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart announced Friday that he has appointed Duane Martin as the town's director of the department of community development.

The move is effective Jan. 30.

The Department of Community Development is comprised of the divisions of Building Inspection, Engineering, and Planning & Zoning. As director, Martin will lead a talented team of 24 employees, with oversight of an annual operating budget of $2.9 million and an annual capital budget of $10-to-12 million.

Martin joined the town of West Hartford’s Engineering Division in November 2005 as a civil engineer. He was promoted to town engineer in December 2012 and appointed acting director of the Department of Community Development on June 18, 2020.

Prior to joining the town of West Hartford, Martin served as a project engineer with the town of Windsor and a transportation engineer with Fuss & O’Neill of Manchester, and BL Companies of Meriden.

Over the past 16 years in West Hartford, Martin has overseen numerous traffic signal and drainage projects, the development of a stormwater management plan, traffic calming improvements, and the design of major road/intersection improvements, including the Interstate 84/Park Road interchange. In addition, he and his team have built out much of the Trout Brook Trail, added bike lanes across the community, and coordinated the town’s highly successful outdoor dining initiative.

Said Hart, "Duane has done a fabulous job as acting director of the department, during a very challenging time. I have been very impressed by his commitment, his professionalism, his problem solving skills, and his passion for excellent constituent service. I know that he will prove a tremendous asset to the Town as he transitions to the role of Director of Community Development on a more permanent basis."

Mayor Shari Cantor added, “The Town Council has tremendous confidence in Duane and his ability to lead the Department of Community Development during this critical time. We have many exciting projects underway and we are very pleased that we have someone of Duane’s caliber leading these initiatives. I look forward to working closely with Duane in the years ahead.”

Martin has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is licensed as a Connecticut Professional Engineer (PE). He lives in Berlin, CT with his wife Lisa. He has two sons and two-step daughters.