Worthy farewell: Hubert Grothues retires after 20 years

Worthy farewell: Hubert Grothues retires after 20 years

Hubert Grothues, who worked as a district construction director in the Borken district for over two decades, was officially retired today in a meeting of the Borken district council. District Administrator Dr. In his speech, Kai Zwicker praised the committed and successful work of Grothues, who was not only responsible for technical specialist units, but also for numerous important projects in the district.

During his term in office, Grothues led various departments, including "Building, living and immission protection", "geoinformation and property cadastre", "nature and environment" as well as the "Operation for Streets, Building Management and Green Area". Under its leadership, the immission protection authority was integrated into the district building office in 2008, which secured the district of Borken a special status as the largest municipal lower immission protection authority in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Grothues was significantly involved in the creation of solutions to optimize construction and administration.

successor and future challenges

After Grothues ’resignation, Benedikt Spieker, a native of Bocholter, will succeed his successor. Spieker, who will take up his new office as a technical department on March 1, 2025, is 38 years old and has already had significant experiences in building management. Before moving to the Borken district, he had been head of the Wasserstraße Department at the Wasserstraße and Shipping Office in Duisburg since 2022. His previous positions included the management of the building yard in Herne and the responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the federal waterways.

The district administrator expressed his hope of successful cooperation with the new department. Grothues had initiated numerous projects during his term, which ranged from the renovation of the Bocholt-West vocational college to the expansion of the Borken district house to the new building of the Hans-Christian-Andersen School in Ahaus. The creation of 62 km of new cycle paths also falls into his area of ​​activity.

a legacy in climate protection

of central importance in Grothues' career was also his commitment to climate protection. In 2009 he set up one of the first "climate protection concepts" at the district level and accompanied the "Regional 2016" structural support program entitled "Future Country". In 2014, the district administration was awarded the "European Energy Award" for its efficient energy management. These initiatives are part of the broader efforts to support the German municipalities in achieving the national climate protection goals. In this context, the practice guideline "climate protection in municipalities" is important, which inspires numerous municipal actors and offers them help in the implementation of climate protection measures in order to promote sustainable development. Around 11,000 German cities, municipalities and counties play a key role.

With the farewell of Hubert Grothues, a formative era for the Borken district ends. He leaves a solid basis for future development projects and a clear direction for climate protection in the region.

For more detailed information about Hubert Grothues and his services in the district of Borken, we refer to the reporting of press service and the context from difu .