[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMENDING MEMPHIS PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR ROBERT KNECHT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 10, 2024

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Memphis Public Works 
Director Robert Knecht who is retiring from the City of Memphis after 
23 years of making it a safer and more attractive place. Mr. Knecht is 
a hard-working and outstanding public servant who always had time to 
answer my questions about federal funding for city projects or how 
securing federal funding could advance the city's infrastructure needs, 
a quality invaluable to me as the Congressman representing Memphis. Mr. 
Knecht concentrated his efforts on the full Public Works portfolio 
including stormwater and wastewater operations, blight remediation, 
Code Enforcement, environmental enforcement, sustainability, street 
sweeping and street maintenance operations, and the results are to his 
credit. My staff and I worked closely with Mr. Knecht as we realized 
the $41 million Big River Crossing project, which included improvements 
on downtown Memphis' Main Street from Uptown to the Harahan Bridge and 
the conversion of the vehicle sections of the bridge into a bike/
pedestrian path. This project was made possible by $15 million in 
federal funds I secured through the Transportation Investment 
Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER IV) Grant as well as matching 
grants from state and local funds and private funds. Mr. Knecht was 
instrumental in helping to execute Community Project Funding I secured 
for projects such as developing the Memphis Cobblestone Landing 
Recreational Center, which received $4 million. I have also worked 
closely with him to secure district projects in the past several Water 
Resources Development Acts, including provisions to deauthorize the 
Wolf River to create a lake adjacent to the historic downtown Snuff 
District and to accommodate a floating entertainment dock at 
Cobblestone Landing. A graduate of the University of Memphis with a 
Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering (2003), he also has a 
Master of Business Administration (2008) from the University of 
Phoenix. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he served during Desert 
Storm/Desert Shield. Married to Memphis native Mandy, he and his three 
children have bright days ahead as he heads for an opportunity in the 
private sector. As Mayor Paul Young has said, his shoes will be hard to 
fill. His has been a job well done.

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