Milestones Icon: Leon A. Wurl
To state that former town administrator Leon Wurl, who literally died in office on Jan. 30, 1998, helped bring Erie into the 21st century really doesn’t tell the story, because in many ways he first had to bring the town into the 20th century.
When the town board brought in Wurl in 1994, he was already an icon among civic officials, having transformed Aspen in the 1960s and Louisville in the 1970s and 80s. But Erie very much was the crowning achievement of his civic restorations.
When he came to Erie, both the water treatment and sewage plants were failing or failed. The town had no growth as municipalities around it were booming. The town hall building had been condemned. Much of downtown Erie was in the flood zone. To top it off, the streets were not paved.
How he ever got downtown out of the flood zone is a case for much speculation and awe in municipal government crowds, but he didn’t stop there. In quick order he also managed to secure grant funds to remodel the old school building for the town hall, build new water and sewage plants, pave the old town area and bring both residential and commercial growth to the town.
Strangely, however, some of his proudest accomplishments were some of the smallest. For instance, he designed the green cottonwood image that still is the town logo. Wurl was dedicated to having trees accompany development, and also to making sure that development didn’t stomp all over the people who were already living or working in town.
He seemed to know the names of darn near every resident and business owner in Old Town, and often took lunch in the old diner where everyone had to eat some crow with their meal, which was dished out readily by the feisty woman who owned the joint.
While often seen, probably correctly, as pro-growth, Wurl also brought some sanity to the argument, having installed development impact fees as city manager of Louisville in the 1970s.
Some of his ashes were scattered in the pavement of the boulevard in Erie that bears his name, and the public works building was also named the Leon Wurl Service Center last year. An erstwhile cowboy originally from Wyoming, he was probably proud to go with his boots on.
To state that former town administrator Leon Wurl, who literally died in office on Jan. 30, 1998, helped bring Erie into the 21st century really doesn’t tell the story, because in many ways he first had to bring the town into the 20th century.
When the town board brought in Wurl in 1994, he was already an icon among civic officials, having transformed Aspen in the 1960s and Louisville in the 1970s and 80s. But Erie very much was the crowning achievement of his civic restorations.
When he came to Erie, both the water treatment and sewage plants were failing or failed.…
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