The Huntsville City Council has chosen Aron Kulhavy as Interim City Manager. Kulhavy, who hails from Nacogdoches, is married to Rachel Kulhavy and they have two sons, Devin and Dylan. They also have  two grandchildren.

Kulhavy holds a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Public Administration, both from Stephen F. Austin University. He moved to Huntsville in 2008, when he became City Planner. He is currently Director of Community and Economic Development.

Kulhavy moved into his new position this month and reflected back on his first days in Huntsville.

“My first weekend in Huntsville, I slept in my office, working through Hurricane Ike,” Kulhavy said.

What interested you about this position?

I see this as a good opportunity for me to stay in Huntsville. I want to carry out projects that we have started—see those projects come to fruition. I want to continue to grow and get better in Huntsville. When I started working for the City, they were just starting to clear out trees for the shopping center where Target and Kroger are. That is the part of the job I really enjoy, being relevant in the development from concept to completion, including navigating challenges - so that we can keep our shopping dollars local.

What are some projects you look forward to working on?

First, the Sam Houston Statue and Visitor Center is top of my list. It is well underway and we hope to be done by July 4th. I think it is progressing nicely. The Center needed this expansion, because there just wasn't much room to host tourism groups or educational events. The new building is going to allow us to help share our story and showcase Huntsville.

Second, the bond projects. We are getting ready to go out for bids on Proposition 3, the water and sewer projects. Each component is essential to ensuring the quality and capacity the City has for water and sewer needs are met now and in the future. We hope to make some major decisions by summer.

Proposition 1 is kicking off with designs for the new police and fire station. Our current facilities are outdated, undersized and not functioning to meet the needs of the City.

In closing:

“I am grateful for the staff within the City. The key to my success are the good people working as hard as they do to serve the citizens of Huntsville.”