Karla Roberts has worn many hats for the city of Ocean Shores for the past decade.

She’s managed projects and funding for the Airport, written grants for rebuilding bridges, guided state ecologists along city shorelines to witness the damages of erosion or on fresh waterways to identify dangerous limbs and growth; at times, she has had to be the go-to person for public facilities priorities that need fixing, or the point person in the effort to make Ocean Shores a Firewise community.

On Dec. 12, Roberts gave her final report for the city’s Fresh Waterways Advisory Board to the City Council as Mayor Crystal Dingler noted her retirement at the end of the year. She received an ovation from the crowd and a plaque with a certificate of appreciation from the appreciative advisory board members.

Roberts “has been a great help” to the advisory board, said longtime member Ernie Nelson. “We will miss you.”

Dingler added: “We really appreciate all the work that she has done.”

“You guys have supported me and been here for me, and I am really honored to work with you too,” Roberts said.

Her last day will be Dec. 30.

Dingler noted that the city recently created a new position of Public Works assistant to help Public Works Director Nick Bird. Alicia Bridges of the city Planning Department will now be the staff liaison to the Fresh Waterways board. Fire Department Inspector Curt Begley will then be the point person on the firebreak/Firewise planning effort.

“We will be redoing the position that Karla has had for a long time, because she has been our primary grant writer,” Dingler said in explaining how the city will fill Robert’s shoes. “I’m really going to make that part of the position description.”