School Construction Job Fits David Puffer

When David Puffer had the chance to make a career shift, he took it.

After all, he wasn't going very far.

Earlier this year, Puffer moved from being the director of business affairs, a job he had held since 2006, to being the district's supervisor of construction projects.

Puffer's job involved overseeing an $84 million project that is building and , as well as renovating to become an elementary school.

The job was created for him, Puffer said, after the demands of overseeing the construction projects were taking up more and more time, which meant he had less time for the district's other business.

Stan Lipinski has been serving as temporary business director since Puffer changed jobs in February. A permanent replacement is expected to be named in the coming weeks.

Puffer said the job shift has been exciting.

"I'm seeing something I helped plan come to life," he said.

Also, he loves going out to the construction sites, seeing the day-to-day changes from walls going up to new equipment.

One thing he never forgets, he said, is that this is public money being spent.

"My job is to make sure it's spent wisely to create the best learning environment possible," he said.

Once the new high school and middle school are finished in 2013, Puffer may have more work ahead of him. The current projects are Phase I of a plan to update Westlake's school buildings. The next phase will involve improving and possibly consolidating existing elementary schools.