Clovis city planning director Dwight Kroll was recognized at the Clovis City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 8. The city honored Kroll for receiving the Spirit of Clovis Award at the Clovis Hall of Fame ceremony on Sept. 15.
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck said she wanted to recreate the ceremony because Kroll wasn’t available to attend the event.
Ashbeck said Kroll’s hard work is reflected in the pathways, buildings, parking lots and local shops people see everyday in Clovis.
“Dwight’s first bright idea after coming to town with a brand new degree in urban planning is now taken for granted as we walk through pathways between buildings from the parking lot on the north side of Fifth Street between Clovis and Pollasky, to local shops and restaurants on those streets,” Ashbeck said.
Kroll’s vision has made Old Town Clovis a safe and enjoyable place to visit, Ashbeck added.
A year after graduating from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Kroll began working as an assistant city planner in Clovis in 1981.
“The innovations and planning concepts, creative curiosity and artistic vision that Dwight Kroll began exercising on his first day of work as an assistant planner in 1981 had held him and us in good stead ever since,” Ashbeck said.
Kroll became Director of Planning and Development Services in 2009, responsible for planning, engineering and building permits and inspections.
“Through Dwight and his team, a powerful community vision has been the coalescing force behind our vibrant Clovis downtown and neighborhoods,” Ashbeck said. “The expansion we have seen over the last four decades and that we are experiencing today, has all been very intentionally planned for and designed to let us grow into tomorrow with our roots intact.”