LC Municipal and School Facilities Committee
Interview with Public Works Director Fred Hurley: May 18, 2009. 9:00 am.
Members present: Dan Amaral, Jan Brookes, John Torok, Pat Llodra
Guests: LeReine Frampton, Robert Merola
One member of the press
Fred Hurley began by stating that the town can either leave the present system of four different areas of responsibility for maintenance with inter-department cooperation in place, or change the organization of town and school maintenance and have one department take charge of everything.. The workers have no problems with the present system. Inter-department cooperation is both timely and cost effective. An example is when the Public Works Department (PWD) sent a backhoe to the Middle School for two hours to remove some pipes. Another example occurred when $20,000 in the police department budget for a traffic study was cut. The police department turned to the Public Works Department (PWD) for traffic data. The Police Commission doesn’t have enough resources, so the PWD supports
their projects. A third example is the PWD’s current project of creating a parking lot at FFHs. While working on this project, workers found many unanticipated things underground. Because the town controlled of the project, there weren’t a series of costly change orders. LeReine Frampton noted a further example. The registrars of Voters needed to make the entrance to the Middle School handicapped accessible. However, the BOE didn’t have the funds. The registrars took the money from their account, and the PWD did the work. The drawback of inter-department cooperation is that maintenance people are constantly trying to do jobs when they can fit them in. The capabilities of all departments are overloaded.
Cooperation continues even when the BOS changes. However, some issues of turf and priorities exist between P & R and the BOE. In particular, P & R is afraid that their personnel might be submerged and their priorities unmet if the present system is changed. On the other hand, BOE building needs must be met in a timely fashion for safety reasons. The present maintenance supervisors won’t always be working for the town. Since the current system is so dependent on the good will and cooperation of various department heads, Mr. Hurley feels that it might not continue as the town begins to experience additional growth and further straining of resources. However, changing the present system might also make it less efficient and cost effective and reduce the timeliness of response.
Pat Llodra stated that if department heads try to quantify the real cost of inter-department cooperation, collegiality might disappear, and maintenance workers will only do what the policy requires.
Mr. Hurley stated that as Newtown evolves from a rural to suburban community, town departments have so far been successful in meeting town needs without increasing personnel resources. For example, live bodies still answer the PWD phone without the use of a voice mail screen. However, the present system is overwhelmed by the difference in what taxpayers expect from government and the resources they are willing to fund. In addition, there is a national climate of shrill language when addressing government employees. Right now individuals are holding the system together. However, that could change if the number of employees doesn’t keep pace with the town’s growth.
The development of Fairfield Hills has impacted the PWD by shifting its resources. The PWD takes its direction form the BOS and FFHs has been a priority for this board. This spring, the department oversaw the contracted cutting out the tunnel crossings and patching in the crossings to get FFHs ready for three major town events – the Newtown Memorial Day Soccer Tournament, the Relay for Life, and the Rooster Run. The PWD has also been working on the parking lot for Newtown and Woodbury Halls. Mr. Hurley stated that although he likes to give his crews one or two large projects a year so they are prepared for larger emergencies, the work at FFHs has been a strain on department resources.
Mr. Hurley stated that he tracks the hours his crew works at FFHs because some of their work may be paid through grants. Some grants allow the town to take credit for in-kind services.
The PWD has the capability of storing large quantities of materials. One of the PWD’s projects was to mix pond muck with highway sand sweepings to create topsoil, saving the Town $25-30 per cubic yard for top soil. P & R spread this at Liberty Fields and the Middle School. This kind of project isn’t noted in the budget. Mr. Hurley observed that the PWD isn’t good at telling its own story.
John Torok noted that larger scale projects should be documented so that the general public has a better understanding of the scope of PWD work.
Personnel:
The Director of Public Works, Fred Hurley, supervises 51 full time Town and contract employees, in diverse categories of job responsibilities.
Public Works Director (1)
Town Engineer (1)
Asst. Town Engineer/Deputy PW Director (1)
Administration (3)
WSA funds one position and a second position covers solid waste and recycling
Highway Department:
Thirty-six (36) general staff
(1) Operations Manager
(1) Garage Manager
(4) Crew Leaders
(4) Leadmen
(5) Heavy Equipment Operators
(16) Truck Drivers
(1) Master Mechanic
(3) Mechanics
(1) Parts Manager
Building Maintenance: Staff of (3)
Provide maintenance for Town Hall South, Multi-Purpose Building, Town Garage, Cold Storage Building, Transfer Station, Dog Pound, and public works buildings.
Transfer Station: Staff of (3) run the operation with supplemental help from Highway as needed.
Contract employees: There are (5) employees associated with the sewer and water operation that are direct employees of AOS-Suez United Water that fall under the direct review of PWD.
In addition, there are (2) companies that provide curbside pickup of recyclables, but there is no direct employee review by PWD. We also oversee contracts for street sweeping, various material vendors ranging from fuel oil companies to dozens of consulting engineering firms and construction contractors.
There are no seasonal employees.
In addition, the town contracts the maintenance of sewers to Suez United Water which employs 4-5 waste water treatment specialists. This work was contracted out because the town would have needed to employ 7+ licensed waste water treatment specialists, which were not readily available, to cover 24/7. It was more cost-effective to use an outside company who could provide 24/7 backup with less direct labor costs. The PWD and Suez United Water share some heavy equipment.
The town uses two outside contractors who provide curbside pickup of recyclable materials. This service is setup by voting districts. Complaints are handled by the PWD. The work is coordinated with the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA).
Mr. Hurley commented that the organizational scheme for the PWD is not linear as there are many shared responsibilities. The chain of command is well established, however, and every person in that chain knows and executes his/her role on an individual responsibility basis.
Although the town engineer isn’t part of the PWD, he works closely with it. The town charter and state statutes give the town engineer legal responsibility. He works with the Town and Borough Planning and Zoning on application reviews, works with the PWD on in-house road and bridge designs and oversees contracted projects.
The town has invested in good equipment, and in its repair. Because of this, roads are cleared of snow within 5 to 6 hours, rather than the 8 to 9 hours that outside experts say it should take.
Most purchases are done through individual bids. Occasionally, the PWD purchases through state bid. However, state bid prices usually aren’t cheaper. In addition, bid specifications often aren’t what the PWD wants. For example, state trucks often have a lighter suspension and break down more often in snow storms. Some Newtown trucks can carry 14-18+ yards of sand and salt, double what most state trucks carry. Also, Newtown PWD trucks have larger fuel tanks and need fewer breaks to refuel and reload. The average snow plow runs are 40% to 50% shorter than those in other towns.
Because a town could be legally attacked over statements made by officials that a municipality was not properly funding minimum safety standards, during budget deliberations, neither Mr. Hurley, the town engineer, nor the police chief will ever say that they can’t do the job. However, Mr. Hurley is comfortable that the town’s minimum needs are being met.
The PWD rarely has a budget surplus at the end of the year. During the year, line items are shifted to meet town needs. The PWD often covers expenses for other departments.
Overtime is in response to natural events such as car accidents, alarms at one of the town buildings, or a downed tree. The biggest reason for overtime is winter snow removal. Overtime expenses typically run between $100,000 - $130,000 or more a year depending on the severity of the winter.
Because road sweeping contractors doubled their prices and didn’t get the work done by July 4th, the PWD has been doing the street sweeping for the last three years. The PWD runs one sweeper for two shifts six days a week. Next year the PWD will put this job out to bid again to test the market. At that time Mr. Hurley will determine whether it’s more cost efficient to do the job in-house or by contract. Newtown has 8,000+ catch basins and typically cleans at least half each year. The town will continue to contract out the job of catch basin cleaning because prices have remained stable.
To reduce the amount of particulate matter in water supplies, both the federal and state DEPs required a reduction in the sand getting into the watercourses. This has affected the salt-sand mixture that the PWD puts on the roads during winter storms. Sodium chloride will melt ice only to 20 degrees F. Magnesium chloride will melt ice at 0 degrees F. However, it’s highly corrosive. An additive is mixed with the salt that removes 90% of the corrosiveness of sodium and magnesium chloride. Sand is mixed with salt in a one to one ratio. Mr. Hurley has concerns about this much salt going into the environment. Well testing in other towns using higher salt concentrations has shown that there are higher levels of sodium in some wells. Because water on bridges freezes at 38
degrees and at wind speeds in excess of 25 MPH, the state allows for pre-treatment of bridges. However, the PWD isn’t allowed by Town policy to pre-treat before a storm. The PWD is called out when the storm actually arrives Some snow storms are so severe that state plows can’t get to all state roads. Routes 25/6 are an especially notorious bottleneck. When state trucks can’t get to Newtown, the PWD plows state roads.
Pat Llodra suggested the heads of maintenance meet to discuss the work ahead, and how their departments can work together to address town needs.
Mr. Hurley said that department heads meet monthly with the First Selectman. The voice that’s missing at these meetings is the BOE. However, all maintenance heads meet annually to discuss the coordination of winter plowing.
Pat Llodra suggested that the PWD develop a plan for testing water and mapping the aquifer with GIS technology. Mr. Hurley noted that the WSA currently had a baseline project with USGS covering the aquifer that could tie together future testing.
Mr. Hurley stated that in the last few years various town departments have cobbled together the funds to extend the town’s technology infrastructure. They are currently installing or have set up fiber optic connections among the new municipal office building, town hall south, and the maintenance garage. Reed School will connect with Bridgeport Hall. The town has used PWD equipment to install conduit for the fiber optic system that will be up and running this year.
Mr. Hurley said overall the system is functioning well, although overloaded with responsibilities. A fourth engineer position was approved several years ago, but never filled as the right person could not be found. Mr. Hurley anticipates resurrecting the request for that position will come sometime in the future.
Mr. Hurley’s Plans for the Future
1. If funding was available, Mr. Hurley’s top priority would be expansion of the capabilities of the GIS system. Administrators and field workers would be able to organize, access and update information such as pictures, topographic contours, historical data, contracted work history, etc. in the office or on job sites. He will work with Scott Sharlow to provide field crews with access to hand held GIS equipment. The GIS system will allow the PWD to work faster and smarter with the same number of employees. Mr. Hurley stated, “Mechanics don’t use a wrench as they used to. Now, more often, they are on their cell phones to a truck manufacturer requesting diagnostic help. At the same time, their laptop, which has a wireless hookup
to the manufacturer’s website is connected to the truck’s on board computer that runs the ignition, emissions, and transmission.”
2. Mr. Hurley said that both the hardware and software related to the tracking of purchases and work orders is available. Scott Sharlow is investigating which program will best suit the needs of both the PWD and other departments.
3. Within five years, Newtown will convert its primarily diesel run fleet to compressed natural gas. The town will build a fueling station by installing a compressor system connected to a main gas line that will serve town vehicles.
Jan Brookes and Pat Llodra for the Committee
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