PORT ANGELES — Four years and five months after starting work for Serenity House of Clallam County, Brad Collins is retiring for a second time.
And this time, it’s likely for good.
“Having a much more open schedule — I’m looking forward to that,” said Collins, who stepped down Monday as Serenity House’s deputy director for resource development and capital projects.
Collins, 65, said he’s retiring mainly to spend more time with his 3-year-old granddaughter, Eveline, and travel with his wife, Janice Collins, who teaches second grade at Hamilton Elementary School.
Collins will remain in his role on the City Council, on which he currently serves as deputy mayor.
“City Council is going to keep me pretty busy,” said Collins, who is running unopposed for his council seat in the Nov. 5 general election.
Community planning
Collins’ retirement Monday caps a decades-long career in the community planning and development field both in the private and public sector, including 16 years as Port Angeles’ community and economic development director from 1989 to 2005.
Collins also held the latter position in Tukwila from 1981 to 1986 and worked as a private planning consultant before he was hired in Port Angeles.
After serving in the same position in Arlington from 2005 to 2007 and as interim community and economic development director in Sultan through 2008, Collins retired from public service and moved back to Port Angeles, where his wife was working at Hamilton Elementary.
Kathy Wahto, executive director of Serenity House of Clallam County, said she approached Collins about working for the nonprofit to acquire grants and organize fundraising for various capital improvement projects Serenity House wanted to undertake.
“We’ve learned a lot and have had a lot of good outcomes from his work with us,” said Wahto, adding that she had known Collins personally for years before he came to work for Serenity House.
Wahto said the largest capital project Collins led while at Serenity House was the construction of the Maloney Heights apartments, a 28-unit complex on 18th Street in west Port Angeles designed to provide permanent apartments for chronically homeless people who also have mental or physical disabilities.
“[Collins] was really involved from Day One and got to know all the tenants,” Wahto said.
“He became really connected to the population and got to know individuals.”
Collins also was instrumental in helping secure funding for the roof renovation of Serenity House’s Port Angeles Thrift Store, which operates out of a 125-year-old former church at the southeast corner of East First and Vine streets.
Wahto said Collins showed his skill with people during fundraising for the new roof by going face-to-face with business and banks, and building support for the project on a person-to-person basis.
“It takes an unusual sort of person, and he is the kind of person who can do that,” Wahto said.
Thrift store renovation
Wahto estimated that Collins helped secure about $40,000 for the thrift store renovation, though Collins’ work securing grants in the $2,000 to $3,000 range for various Serenity House projects also has had an impact.
“It adds up over time, and it’s the sort of niche funding you can’t get from federal government or state government,” Wahto said.
Wahto cited Collins’ efforts to secure grants for Hill House, a Serenity-House-run, women-only facility in west Port Angeles specifically designed for women in need of emergency shelter that also offers individual rooms for rent.
“It’s been a very successful small project that has made the difference for a lot of women,” Wahto said.
Although Collins said he undoubtedly will enjoy his retirement, he said he has come to define himself somewhat by his career and will miss work.
“When I’m not doing work, it’s going to be a little different to figure out who I am, I think,” Collins said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
