WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — From growing up on the west side of Cincinnati to working 25-plus years as engineer of rural Fayette County, Steve Luebbe said he is fortunate and grateful for the journey.

“I’ve been so honored to be able to serve in this capacity over the last 25 years,” said Luebbe, who recently retired as Fayette County Engineer. “Fayette County has been home to me, we have made so many great friends in that time, and I appreciate the opportunity to be able to raise a family here.”

After graduating from Cincinnati’s Elder High School, Luebbe went on to earn his degree in engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1987.

When asked why he decided to get into engineering, Luebbe said, “I was a math and science kid, what else do you do? It just seemed to be the way to marry the two together. It’s been good. Now, in hindsight, would I go back and do this all again, who knows? But it’s been a good career and a rewarding career.”

After college, Luebbe worked 10 years for the Butler County Engineer’s Office, and then two years in the private sector.

“It was around that time that then county commissioner Bob Peterson and David Bihl contacted me and wanted me to come talk to them about the engineer job in Fayette County,” said Luebbe. “I’m not sure how I came on their radar, but I think they were looking for someone in surrounding counties who was young, still registered and might be interested.”

In October of 1998, Luebbe was appointed to the position of county engineer following the retirement of Roger E. Thompson.

“I didn’t know Roger at the time, but he and I became friends later,” Luebbe said. “I guarantee you that 25 years ago when I was appointed to this job, nobody thought I would be here 25 years. But the county engineer job isn’t really a stepping stone job. You don’t jump from county to county, you find somewhere and you stay. I’ve been here over 25 years, and out of the 88 counties in Ohio, there are about 12 county engineers that are even longer tenured than me.”

Luebbe said some of the best parts of the job have been the people he’s met within the county and outside of it, and being able to see projects through to the end.

“You can start a project, you get a concept, you work on the design, you do the construction, and that all happens within a few seasons typically, depending on how big the project is and how it’s funded,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to see your ideas put into practice.”

When Luebbe was asked what he’s most proud of professionally, he said, “I’m most proud of our overall body of work over the last 25 years. I think we’ve made some meaningful improvements. And it’s not me, it’s the staff. We’ve had a great staff. I’ve been surrounded by good people and any successes we’ve had are really due to them.”

Luebbe also gave credit to the past and present county commissioners he’s worked with over the years.

“I’ve been fortunate in the fact that I’ve always worked with good county commissioners,” he said. “I hear horror stories from other counties, but in Fayette County, we’ve never fought over anything. There’s a mutual respect. They are good people who always have the best interests of the county in mind. I’ve just been very fortunate to have so much support from those guys over the last quarter century.”

As far as specifically what he’s most proud of as the engineer, Luebbe said:

“We probably replaced or rehabbed almost 40% of our bridges since I’ve been here. You can’t do that anymore because the funding just isn’t there. The cost of infrastructure is so expensive. But I’m proud of that.

“When I came on, I feel like Fayette County already had a good roadway system. When you compare it to other counties surrounding us and other rural counties in Ohio, I’d like to think that I found it in good shape and I’m leaving it in better shape.”

Luebbe added that he expects his successor, Jason Little (who was just appointed by the commissioners as the new county engineer), to make even more improvements. Little has worked at the Fayette County Engineer’s Office for 17 years. He graduated from Ohio Northern University with a degree in engineering and has a surveyor’s license as well. Prior to the engineer’s office, Little worked for the City of Washington Court House.

“I have no doubt that Jason and the staff will improve on anything we did under my tenure,” said Luebbe. “Jason is going to be great, he knows the job and he’s enthusiastic about it. He’s surrounded by good people and I think he’s going to do great things.”

Luebbe said the end of his tenure was a bittersweet time.

“The only real regret I have is that I’m sorry I’m not going to be able see the projects related to the Honda plant through,” he said.

The plant is being constructed just west of Ohio 729 and south of I-71 in Jefferson Township. Projected to reach an overall investment of $4.4 billion and create some 2,200 new jobs, the joint venture aims to start mass production of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries in 2025, to be supplied to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America.

“We’re in the middle of $150 million worth of infrastructure improvements in the area….and that’s just our office. The average for us used to be $2 to $3 million a year,” Luebbe said. “Most will be complete by the end of this year, some will linger until around mid-2025. I’m sorry I can’t see it all the way through, but the staff will get it finished. We have good people in place.”

Luebbe said it’s time to write a new chapter in his life.

“Everyone looks forward to their retirement and hopefully I’ll have some years to enjoy it,” he said. “I want to thank the people of Fayette County. We raised four kids here, this county feels like home. What’s next? I don’t know. But I am very grateful for my time here.”