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Strahl will leave county service Jan. 4 By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Although he's familiar with every street in Jackson County, Medford resident Joe Strahl is about to walk a new road. Strahl, the county's roads, parks and planning director, will leave his post Jan. 4 after 17 years of service. At 53, Strahl said he's just not ready for a life of full-time gardening or golf. Instead, Strahl will serve as the new president of Keypoint Services International Inc., a Medford-based international telecommunications company. Keypoint Services employs 25 people at its Medford office and contracts with more than 3,000 technicians to install and maintain telecom networks nationwide. Strahl acquired a majority interest in the company from company founder Reeve Hennion. Keypoint co-founder and long-time partner Wade Norman will be executive vice president when Strahl comes on board in January. Although Strahl is looking forward to the new venture, he'll miss working with the county. "There's a lot of pride associated with being a department director in Jackson County. I am going to miss it," Strahl admitted. "I am going to look forward to sleeping through floods and fires." County Administrator Sue Slack said it's unclear when a decision will be made to fill Strahl's position, or how. But she's clear about Strahl's decision to leave. "His loss is a big loss for Jackson County. We're going to miss him," Slack said. "There are some big shoes to fill." Strahl said fate brought him to the Rogue Valley, when in 1984 he was hired as the county's public works director, overseeing more than 1,000 miles of roads. Before accepting the position, Strahl was a public works director in Colorado. During a trip through Washington and Oregon, Strahl said he and his wife, Nancy, fell in love with the area, and made a vow to move within five years. The couple even shook hands on the deal. When they arrived home, Strahl said he had a letter from Jackson County in the mail - an unsolicited request urging him to accept a job as public works director. "What was a five-year goal became a five-week accomplishment," Strahl said. "We've never been sorry at all." Strahl was born in Kentucky and attended high school in Sacramento, Calif. He later moved to Maryland, where he graduated from the University of Maryland, worked as a private contractor and later as a public works director in Salisbury, Md. Strahl also worked as an engineer in Washington, D.C. In 1992, the county merged its parks and roads department and Strahl took over as director of both divisions. Two years ago, he took the reins of the planning department, overseeing more than 200 employees. During his years with the county, Strahl spearheaded efforts to restore McKee Bridge, developed strategic plans for each division within his department and created a partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation that has served as a national model. Strahl and his department coped with the emergency of the 1997 New Year's Day flood and two-year restoration effort. Strahl said he has no doubt that his co-workers and employees will continue to function efficiently without him. "I do feel that there's enough management experience in the departments that they can function fine for a couple of years (without replacing me)," he added. Last year, Strahl and Ed Olson of Medford invented and began marketing The Water Safe, a portable electric filtration system that strains river water of cryptosporidium and other harmful bacteria. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.