Fred Poe Has Made His Mark In Auburn -- Still Engineering Change In City

Not much in Auburn escapes Fred Poe's touch.

The 59-year-old can walk through town on streets that he developed as city engineer, point to 30 buildings that his construction company built and talk to citizens that he's met through one community board or another. They all bear testimony that Fred Poe was here.

And some are pointing to the mayor's seat, asking Poe to leave his mark here, as well, when current Mayor Bob Roegner steps down at the end of the year.

Although the long-time Auburn resident says he is not interested in the post, he has built a reputation as one who has engineered change in the past and will be instrumental in changes to come.

From city engineer to chairman of the Auburn Area Planning Forum, Poe's fingerprints are all over the blueprints of change.

Reflecting Poe's wide interests, the decor at his Poe Construction office combines diplomas with fish posters, stuffed ducks with family photos, and office files with Washington State University paraphernalia. His office and his attire - a dress shirt, conservative tie and a Mariners watch - exposes Poe as the hunter, fisherman, sports fan and businessman that he is.

A Puyallup High School graduate, Poe first came to Auburn when he married his wife, Rita, an Auburn native, about 40 years ago.

Poe earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Washington State University in 1956. (He remains an avid Cougar fan and never misses an Apple Cup). Enrolled in a Reserve Officers Training Corps program, he served as a first lieutenant and was stationed in New Jersey and California. He then earned a masters degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington in 1961.

Then came a stint in city government. As the city engineer for Auburn from 1966 to 1969, Poe oversaw water, sewer and streets development and maintenance.

Following that, he went to work as a staff engineer for a housing construction company, then moved to Dallas to help acquire hotels for its parent company. He returned in 1973 when he bought an existing company, changing it to Poe Construction. The company has handled commercial and industrial projects from Everett to Olympia. He said it continues to do well, despite the recession, marking slow growth each year. Last year, the company had $20 million in sales.

One of those trying to get Poe to put his government and community background to work in the mayor's office is George Schuler, who worked with him as the planning director.

"He was an asset to the community while working for the city and after," Schuler said. "No one knows the town better."

While Poe said he would not have the time to run his business and be mayor, he still has a few bones to pick with the current government.

His main gripe is that he sees bureaucracy, policies and procedures rendering city hall inaccessible to the everyday person and bogging down decision-making.

For example, he said, he had a problem two years ago during which the Auburn City Council barely approved a variance allowing him to build his house along the Green River. Because of the odd shape of his property, the house would not meet requirements that it not come within 10 feet of the property line. Although neighbors testified that they did not object, three of the seven council members felt the zoning code should be upheld.

And what does he need another title for anyhow? He already has more than enough. Poe currently is director of locally owned Cascade Community Bank, and he's on the WSU Foundation's board of trustees, Green River Community College's Foundation and a committee to identify wetlands. And there are his past positions, too: past president of the Auburn Kiwanis Club; past president of the city's chamber of commerce; past chairman of the Auburn Community Fund; past chairman of the South King County YMCA Board; past chairman of the Auburn Area Economic Development Association; and the list goes on.

He also heads the Auburn Area Planning Forum, which is a group of business and community leaders collecting public opinion on the future of Auburn.

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