Meet Tyler Bradshaw, the city's new public works director

Tyler Bradshaw dove right into work as the Columbia Falls’ new public works director. He no sooner got here than he was literally looking down a big and unexpected hole in one of the city’s main streets — an 80-foot long void left behind more than 100 years ago next to the Nord Building (see related story/A1).

Bradshaw, 35, is no stranger to solving problems, however. He’s spent the last nine years of his career as a consulting engineer for the city of Juneau, Alaska.

“I have a solid background in projects and project management,” he said during an interview last week. His specialty was municipal road design, so the problem on Sixth Street was, so to speak, was right up his alley.

Bradshaw is the son of Steve Bradshaw, the superintendent of School District 6. He spent half his youth growing up in Red Lodge and the other half in Sitka, where his father was superintendent of schools.

Bradshaw enlisted in the Air Force out of high school. As a jet electrician from ‘01 to ‘05 he did two tours in the Middle East, working primarily on F-15 fighter jets.

After the Air Force he went to Colorado State University and received degrees in science and engineering. He and his wife Angie have three boys, 15, 5 and 2. Angie’s an X-ray technician.

Bradshaw said he’s been looking for work in Montana to be closer to family — his brother lives in Kalispell as well — when the city’s public works job opened up.

He said he enjoys working with the public and will look to see what efficiencies he can find in the department, which oversees the city’s streets, sewer and water departments. Some of the projects he worked on in Alaska were multi-million developments.

But he understands the economy of scale here in Columbia Falls.

“Fiscal responsibility is a major part of the job as a public works director,” he noted.

When he’s not working, he enjoys outdoor activities and has already been playing in a co-ed fall softball league in Kalispell, he said.