Sjaak put his teeth into everything
For almost half a century, Sjaak van Houten devoted himself to his city as a civil servant of the municipality of Delft. With heart and soul, until his retirement date in June this year. As Public Space Management consultant, he was involved in numerous jobs, including keeping... the pavement in order. So it should come as no surprise that his supervisor Hans van Belle gave him a golden clinker for his retirement: "His commitment has been great!"
"If I had to characterise Sjaak in a few words, I would say: brimming with loyalty and commitment. Of course, that's only natural if you stay with the same employer for 48 years. Sjaak has always felt a strong connection with Delft. If he was asked to do something, it was very difficult for him to say no. He had a predilection for technology and used that predilection very creatively. To give an example: when one of our mayors was rather annoyed about the flag on the Nieuwe Kerk which, instead of flying proudly, used to drape around the flagpole, Sjaak came up with something - by means of a construction with ball bearings, don't ask me about the details! - which prevented that from happening again. I mean it!"
Finest hour
"In 1971, armed with a diploma from the LTS, Sjaak started working for the municipality as a technical draughtsman. He then eventually managed to work his way up to Public Space Management consultant, with a wide range of duties: winter service coordinator, emergency service and disaster relief. He did everything with the same enthusiasm; and he had everything perfectly in order, although his administrative style was rather 'Sjaakish'; not easily understood by all his colleagues... But Sjaak experienced his finest hours at the municipality around the royal burials in the tombs of the Nieuwe Kerk. These involve an enormous amount of work, measures of which the public is usually unaware: a big clean-up of half the city centre, bomb checks, sealing manhole covers: too much to mention. And all within the space of a week. Sjaak was in his element then, put his teeth into it and got everything done. All the best, Sjaak, we will miss you!"
Hans van Belle: "If I had to characterise Sjaak in a few words, I would say: brimming with loyalty and commitment. Of course, it can't be helped if you stay with the same employer for 48 years."
