Veteran civil engineer brings over two decades of public and private sector experience to lead city infrastructure and capital improvement projects
The City of Morro Bay has a new city engineer, who comes into the job with a lot of experience and with a lot on the department’s plate.
Public Works Director Greg Kwolek recently announced the hiring of Nate Stong for the position, replacing Cindy Cecil. Stong started with the city Sept. 29, and comes with a ton of experience in both private and public service.
Kwolek said he selected Stong from a pool of four candidates who went through a “comprehensive interview process that included interviews with city staff.”
“Nate brings a wealth of engineering and municipal project experience to the city, and I’m excited for him to lead up our engineering team,” Kwolek said.
Stong will oversee a department with five other full-time employees. The main focus is the town’s infrastructure and a lengthy list of capital projects.
The Engineering Department, “manages traffic issues, encroachment permits, development reviews, and over three dozen active capital projects,” Kwolek said. “One of our City Council’s main priorities is implementation of our capital projects, and Nate’s 23 years of experience as a civil engineer and 6m years of experience as a city engineer makes him well poised to help the city improve and maintain our critical infrastructure, such as our harbor, roads, and utility systems.
“His expertise and confident decision making align with the Department’s current needs. I am thrilled for Nate to come on board to develop a vision for city infrastructure in collaboration with the City Council, Public Works Advisory Board, and the Morro Bay community.”
Stong earned a degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly and worked over 10 years with cities and counties, including Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Placerville, and SLO County.
He also has 13 years of experience in the private sector “working on projects involving flood control, drainage analysis and design, as well as traffic and transportation engineering projects.”
Stong said he’s glad to be here.
“I’m thrilled to join the City of Morro Bay and be a part of the team entrusted to help shape and protect this unique and beautiful California coastal city,” he said. “I look forward to advancing public works and private development projects, which directly enhance residents’ quality of life. It’s a chance to make meaningful community impact through solving problems and helping people.”
He’ll have a hand in a lot of what the city does for its citizens and visitors now and in the future.
The city’s capital projects, Kwolek said, include water and sewer, storm drain and flood control, pavement management, sidewalk repairs, harbor, parks, and other projects.”
He will also head up an effort to change the way the engineering department does its job. Stong “will also be finalizing an update to the City’s engineering standards as well as development of long-term capital planning and prioritization,” Kwolek said.
Among the larger issues is the finalization of the recycling portion of the Water Reclamation Facility Project, and the eventual dismantling and redevelopment of the old sewer treatment plant on Atascadero Road.
And his experience with flooding could come in handy in Morro Bay, especially in the area of Main Street around Morro Creek that has repeatedly flooded in past large winter storms.
Stong’s salary, according to the current City Salary Schedule under the “unrepresented management” employee category, will fall somewhere between $59.49 an hour or $123,000 a year at Step 1 and $72.31/hr or $150,400 a year at Step 5, plus a full benefits package.
Cecil, the previous city engineer, had been with the city since April 1, 2024. Kwolek did not say why she left.
Feature Image: Nate Stong has been hired as Morro Bay’s new city engineer and will head the Engineering Division of Public Works.
