Municipal Utilities Building Renamed for John Kniepper

City officials, board members, employees, and the family and friends of John Kniepper gathered Aug. 31 at 201 Miller Rd. for the re-dedication of the John W. Kniepper Municipal Utilities Administration Building.

The 20,000-square-foot facility, dedicated as the Office/Garage Complex in May 2004, will now be the namesake of John W. Kniepper, who retired as Chief Utilities Executive in December 2010. Kniepper’s career spanned 43 years of service, first as the Utilities Assistant Director in 1968, then as Director in 1971, and finally as Chief Utilities Executive in 2003.

Kniepper continues to serve as the Utilities Special Projects Advisor.

During Kniepper’s tenure, Avon Lake Municipal Utilities expanded from a water and wastewater treatment operation that primarily served the 12,000 residents of the of Avon Lake to a $70 million operation that now sells water and sewer services to more than 188,000 people living in a 600-square-mile area of Lorain, Medina and Huron counties.  He currently serves as ALMU’s advisor to the Lorain County Rural Wastewater District, which is completing a $27.7 million dollar sanitary sewer system to provide sewer service to rural Lorain County.  

Kniepper thanked the staff and city leadership for assisting him with the expansion of the water department during the years.

“The support I received from a dedicated staff, board, and city council, who always treated me well and helped us move the utility forward,” Kniepper said.

He also joked during the dedication.

“That’s pretty impressive,” he said, after the building’s new name was unveiled. “Usually that happens after you’re dead.”

Board Chair Chuck Whitmer noted that “John Kniepper’s active involvement in the community made the ‘Kniep’ one of the best known and respected government officials in Avon Lake.”

John served as President of the Library Board when the new was built, President of the Greater Years Organization that built Beach Park Towers, and still actively serves in Kiwanis.

Plenty of local officials were on hand for the renaming including Chief Utilities Executive Todd Danielson, who unveiled the  building’s new name, Municipal Utility Board members Dave Marquard and Tony Abram attended, along with Mayor Karl Zuber and Council President Greg Zilka and Clerk of Council Barbara Dopp.

Avon Lake Patch Editor Lori E. Switaj contributed to this article