News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Building Official Don Gilmet poses at Alpena City Hall on Monday.

ALPENA — In the last year, Alpena has hired a new city manager and is currently looking for a new planning and development director.

Soon, it will look to replace Building Official Don Gilmet, who is retiring after more than 20 years serving the people of the city.

Gilmet, who is also the city’s harbormaster, said he intended to retire on Sept. 11, but, because of the shakeup in city staff the COVID-19 pandemic, he has pushed back his final day by several weeks to help the new planning and development director settle in after being hired.

The city has been lacking a planner since Adam Poll left this spring to take a job at the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce. A new planner could be hired as soon as the next few weeks.

“I want to be able to show them the ropes and get them comfortable,” Gilmet said.

In addition to his job with the city, where he is also the city’s harbormaster, Gilmet runs his own construction business, which he said needs more of his time.

“The business has built up and demands more of my time, and, for the last two years, it just seems like I am working every day until late,” he said. “I also want to spend more time with my family and do some of the things I enjoy like hunting and fishing, hiking and camping, and just spending time with the family.”

Gilmet isn’t going to disappear from public view, however, as he recently won the August primary in the race for commissioner of Alpena County’s District 1 in Alpena County. He’ll face independent Mark Hunter in November.

Gilmet said Alpena County is on the cusp of change and in need of better financial structure. He said he believes he can help and is excited about the new challenge that awaits him.

“I feel I’ll be good at it, and I understand where people are coming from,” he said. “My family has been around Alpena for a very long time, and I have relatives who have been involved in city and county government. I know all of the players, and it will be basically a continuation of my job with the city.”

For years, the Building Department lost money, but Gilmet said he was able to right the ship during his tenure and make the department self-sustaining.

Over the years, Gilmet has seen a lot of city employees and Alpena Municipal Council members come and go. He said the thing he will miss most is not being able to see his comrades everyday.

“I’m really going to miss the people,” he said. “I have worked with a great bunch of people.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Mark Hunter will run against Gilmet for the Alpena County board this fall. That information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.