BOONE, Iowa—Another long-time city employee is opting to take retirement and was recently recognized for over his decades of service to the residents of Boone. Ed Higgins officially retires this month. The city has released this article about Higgins retirement:
Ed Higgins began his employment with the City of Boone expecting to spend his career rushing
into burning buildings. Instead, he’s spent the past 24 years as the City’s building official,
issuing permits that have helped Boone grow and ensured its residential and commercial
properties safe.
He will retire on Friday after serving local taxpayers for 31 years. Dave Ades is his successor.
Higgins, who was from Greene County, had been an electrician in Jefferson and his wife was
starting her junior year at Iowa State University in the early 1980s. They moved to Boone
because it was between Ames and Jefferson. “We decided Boone was the halfway point. It
wasn’t, of course, but we set down roots and we never left. We’ve been here ever since,” he
said.
Their arrival may have been part of a “halfway” strategy but Higgins and his wife threw
themselves wholeheartedly into the community. He applied for – and landed – a job as a
firefighter with the Boone Fire Department.
He was seven years into that profession when a back injury suffered during a medical call to aid
an injured parachutist changed everything. “It was just one of those fluke things. We went to lift
him up – I did all the right things, lifted with my legs and everything – but I just felt a sharp pain
go down my back right away,” he recalled. “I just said, ‘Oh, no.’ I continued along for a while at
work but finally went to the doctor.”
A herniated disc and the ensuing surgery ended his plans of retiring after a long career as a
firefighter. “It was life changing,” he said. “Just about that same time, there was an opening in
the building department, so I kind of segued into it. Everything happened very quickly. Within a
couple weeks, the (previous) building official decided to resign, and I was offered the job.”
The department has grown during his tenure, moving from a one-person operation to now
including Higgins, a community service officer who handles mowing and junk removal duties,
and an administrative assistant. “I did all those things at first so I was very busy, especially
because 1999 was a very strong time for housing,” he explained.
During those early days of the internet, the city administrator’s office was the only department
with online access. The building department, like others, still conducted its business entirely on
paper and by telephone.
These days, the permitting process has been improved for the public and the department’s staff
by the ability to transmit building plans and other data, requests, approvals, and billing online.
“It’s evolved. We do so much more electronically, and it’s much more efficient,” said Higgins,
who has also served as zoning administrator and floodplain manager.
One thing that never changed over the years was the need to keep current with the international
codes that set the safety standards for buildings, including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical
installation. “The statewide norm is the international codes, the building and residential codes. I
belong to the Iowa Association of Building Officials, and all of our members use that same code,
as does the state of Iowa. The fire marshal’s office uses that same code, as well,” Higgins said.
The building department issued 38 residential construction permits with a total valuation of
$9,850,000. Overall, the department issued 625 permits, including 207 building, nine demolition,
161 electrical, 137 heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), 103 plumbing and eight sign
permits. The department collected $133,564.04 in permit fees last year.
“We had a good year even though interest rates started creeping up and it slowed down things
a little bit,” Higgins said. “Overall, our last probably four to five years have been really good,
especially housing. As far as new townhomes and new single-family homes go, it’s been a busy
time because interest rates were so low.”
Higgins said he’ll most miss the day-to-day interactions with colleagues. “This can be a
controversial department because sometimes you have to tell people things they don’t want to
hear, but I’ve made some good friendships with some contractors and engineering departments,
in town and out of town,” he noted. “The people, I’ll miss that.”
But Higgins is looking forward to trading the workplace for more time with his children and
grandchildren, traveling with his wife, and maybe even taking on a home renovation project or
two of his own. “I still enjoy what I do, but I’m ready. It’s time to let someone with younger blood
take over,” he said.
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