Milton’s Thomas Quass goes from Alaska to the Broadkill

Thomas Quass has had a long journey to become Milton’s new project coordinator, but long journeys are nothing new for this Army and Coast Guard vet who's been just about everywhere.

Quass was hired by the town in January to replace the retiring John Collier, serving three months learning the job before formally taking over as the town’s primary building official in April.

Prior to coming to Milton, Quass had been serving as a code enforcement officer in the city of Kodiak, Alaska; he ended up there after a career spent in the U.S. Coast Guard, which has a large presence in Kodiak, an island community on the Alaskan coast. Quass was splitting his time between Kodiak and his home in Clarksville, Md., near his hometown of Annapolis. His wife was spending most of her time in Clarksville, and he was ready to come back to the East Coast. After moving back, the couple purchased a home near Bethany Beach where Quass thought about retirement before learning Milton was looking for a new project coordinator. 

“I wasn’t quite ready to retire,” he said. “I saw this position and applied. What drew me to it was because it was a small town. I felt like I could come in and be on top of things.”

Quass said his biggest challenge was just getting to know the town and its people, and how they do things. He said learning the codes was not as difficult, since most building codes across the country are based on international standards and are fairly similar.

Given Alaska’s unique geography, access to Kodiak is typically by plane or ferry, so it was common to conduct business via teleconference or videoconference. 

“We did it out of necessity,” Quass said. “We had villages and stuff where you couldn’t come in for a meeting because it took you three hours to get there by boat or 40 minutes by float plane. It was normal.”

Those skills came in handy in Milton when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the town was forced to hold meetings via teleconference. He ended up taking charge of the town’s conferencing system, which allows the public to listen to and participate in meetings by phone or computer. 

Quass spent 30 years in the armed forces, six with the Army and 24 with the Coast Guard. During the Cold War, Quass was stationed in Berlin, working in military intelligence. He was discharged from the Army and went into the Coast Guard, where he spent time in the Persian Gulf. 

In 2005-06, Quass was part of the Coast Guard units deployed during the Iraq War, conducting liaison work in the region and control work around the oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. 

Quass said going into the military was a surprising choice to his friends in high school, where Quass participated in the theater and in singing clubs. 

“I didn’t want to starve as an actor. I tap-danced my way through 30 years in the military,” he said. 

So far, he’s enjoying his latest dance in Milton.

“I think the best part is I get to use my mind and help out, as far as interpreting code and answering people’s questions,” Quass said. “I like helping out with those.”