2009 Annual Report.pdf - Town of Milton

REPORT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
To the Honorable Board of Selectman: June 30, 2009
During Fiscal Year 2009, the Department of Public Works went through several
significant changes in operational structure, assignment of work responsibility,
and funding limitations. The single most significant event in the
department was implementation of the DPW Reorganization Plan. The challenge
of reorganization became necessary due to significant impacts realized
from the downturn in the regional and national economies and its impact on municipal
revenues, which significantly decreases the available funding for all of
the Town’s departments to carry out its’ missions. To meet the available funding,
the DPW eliminated two full-time positions and eliminated a third position
by absorbing (consolidating) what had been two positions into one. All of these
changes took place within the Administrative division of the department so as to
minimize any direct impact to delivery of services for any critical operation. A
second major operational change in the department took place by consolidation
of the Wiring Department into the DPW. This resulted in the Wiring, Central
Maintenance, Building Maintenance, and Sewer Divisions all being supervised
under a single manager. The Conservation /Administration/DPW position assigns
all of the Conservation, clerical and fuel system administration duties to
one person. The Assistant town engineer assumed responsibilities for all town
contracts and the entire solid waste disposal program. The streetlight manager
assumed the building and grounds, sewer operations, and central maintenance.
Utilizing their resources and capabilities to the fullest, the DPW has provide
the necessary services to the town and extra services that residents have become
accustomed to. With this modestly staffed work force, the DPW continued to meet
the challenges of maintaining the town’s equipment, a fully functioning roadway
network, a clean water system and an efficient sewer system. The DPW has kept
overhead and outside consultant expenses to a minimum, allowing the majority of
capital funding to be spent on construction and implementing a modest plan to
improve our water, sewer and storm water system over ten years. Installation of
a long needed traffic signal at the intersection of Bluehills Parkway and Brook
Road is just one of the major projects which DPW has completed. The following
reports detail the progress made by each division of the department.
ENGINEERING
In fiscal year 2009, the Engineering Department, despite going through numerous
changes, continued to provide engineering support and planning services
to the citizens of Milton through its collaboration with other town departments,
including the Milton Conservation Commission, the Planning Board, the Board
of Selectmen, the Board of Health, the Traffic Commission, the Board of Ap-
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