HOUGHTON — Former colleagues of Ray Kestner credited the longtime Houghton city manager with revitalizing Houghton in the years after the local mining industry collapsed.

Kestner, who served as director of public works, and for most of his 26 years with Houghton, city manager, died last week in Grand Haven, Michigan at the age of 91.

Kestner took over shortly after Houghton’s incorporation as a city. At the time, the city was a “mess,” with stagnating development and poor infrastructure, said Scott MacInnes, who worked under Kestner starting in 1974 and succeeded him as city manager in 1997.

“There were no new homes, no new business, and the population was continuing to decline,” MacInnes said. “He had unbelievable passion for the city. He was certainly a visionary. He knew how to get things done with the little bit of money that we had. He formulated a plan. He put together a good team.”

MacInnes said Kestner’s biggest projects were re-energizing the city’s historic downtown, remaking the city’s waterfront and developing the M-26 corridor.

“He just went full speed ahead on those three projects,” MacInnes said. “I couldn’t believe how fast he got those things done … He had an unbelievable vision of what Houghton should look like, and I think that result is what you see today.”

Under Kestner’s leadership, the city received the Community of Excellence Award from the State of Michigan for 1987-1989 and 1991. In 1989, he was also tapped to give a presentation on Houghton’s shoreline development in Washington, D.C. at the Waterfront Development Conference sponsored by the National League of Cities.

The waterfront, where there is now a park bearing Kestner’s name, had once been the site of the Copper Range Railroad’s copper ore loading area and roundhouse.

“I grew up here in Houghton, and the waterfront was a complete shambles,” MacInnes said. “As a kid, I don’t think I was ever on the waterfront for anything.”

Kestner was also adept at finding grant money for projects, MacInnes said. He and would also check with stakeholders before pursuing a project to find the best way to fund it. And in case the state had extra money, he had projects lined up ready to go.

“We never asked for more money if we went over budget, and we made sure we gave credit to the agencies we work with,” he said. “That combination right there led to an extreme amount of success with grants. I don’t know any community our size in Michigan that received the dollars we got from state and federal agencies.”

Houghton City Councilor Bob Backon, who began serving on the council in Kestner’s final years as city manager, remembered him as “very positive, very outgoing, and very aggressive when he wanted to take on a project.”

“When he made up his mind to do something, whatever it was, he put his whole heart and soul into that project, and worked to get it done,” he said. “He was a guy who really helped expand and promote our community in every way.”

Planning Commission Chair Tom Merz worked with Kestner after joining the council in 1994, including the first six months of Merz’s time as city mayor.

“If I could sum Ray up, I could tell you he had the city’s interest at heart,” he said. “He was just very positive about Houghton. I enjoyed interacting with him.”

Kestner knew a lot about the operations of government, and had a lot of foresight, Merz said.

Shortly after becoming mayor, Merz said, he had a conversation with Kestner about the Lakeshore Drive parking deck, which Kestner had helped the city obtain.

“He said, ‘I did the easy part. I got the money to build it,'” Merz said. “‘Someday, you’re going to face the decision on how to maintain it, and tear it down. You generally don’t get grants for that, so good luck.'”

A Houghton native, Kestner graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1955 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduating, he spent two years overseas with the Navy Seabees, where he formed the Michigan Testing & Drilling Company of Detroit.

After five years as a paving and quality control engineer on the K.I. Sawyer and Kincheloe Air Force bases, Kestner moved downstate with his family. Over the next 15 years, he co-founded the Michigan Testing & Drilling Company of Detroit, which became a nationally recognized firm.

Backon remembered Kestner as a great friend and a devoted family man. Kestner had met his wife of 53 years, Janet, while ice skating when they were both at Michigan Tech. Their seven children also attended Tech, Backon said.

“He was truly committed to this community in every way,” he said. “He wanted to see Tech expand, he wanted to see growth at the university. He wanted to make sure our main artery through town, Shelden Avenue, was secure and attractive for people that came through this community.”