By reducing the size of the road department staff, it jeopardizes the employee and public safety aspect of many operations.
"Contracting with Greencastle Borough for equipment maintenance" - Antrim's Department heads recently met with Greencastle department heads. We would love to be able to perform maintenance on their vehicles. Unfortunately, Antrim's mechanic is very busy. He has skills that go far beyond minor maintenance and repairs. He has designed many improvements to the vehicles and equipment, many for safety, cost savings, and less break downs. These projects can be time consuming, however, the savings that are not seen by the general public have certainly been worth it. On rainy days, the mechanic is assisted, based on their skills, by other members of the road crew.
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Manager/Finance Director, Planning Director, Engineer, or something similar? This is an approach common in other nearby municipalities? - Where is this being done locally?
Larson Wenger's response to Management Study
First a comment to the remarks at the September 9, 2008 meeting about generators that have not run at sewer lift (pumping) stations since an employee has worked at Antrim. Those generators (approximately eight) are aged and parts are hard to find. In approximately October, 2003 the Antrim Township Municipal Authority purchased a portable generator { 50 KW } to be used at these lift stations. A cable was designed so that it could be connected to the throw switches and could run the lift stations. This portable unit has only been used one time at a lift station {LS # 11}.
The six employees that were left go on August 21, 2008 had decades of experience working for local government. The four Township Supervisors have six years experience and the four have never been to ATMA water plant or the wastewater plant or pump stations to tour the operations {Curtis Myers came down to the wastewater plant with his friend to show where the roof was to be built over sludge pit.} The Supervisors have been invited time and time again by Larson to tour our facilities.
The claim that Township employees were not drug / alcohol tested is not true. CDL drivers are tested at random. Antrim has those records to show this statement is not true.
Page E-2 paragraph 2
Personnel were cross trained at the wastewater plant and lift stations to run the equipment. The one water plant operator was assigned take the newest employee to the water plant and Mont Alto to be trained in the operations.
Matt Dhillon was not aware that Antrim could not out source our lab services until proper certification (PA Dept. of Environmental Protection mandated time factor) was completed and additional equipment was purchased.
Page E-2 paragraph 9
I agree with the former Roadmaster our positions were handled with one person years ago and was not working well, so it was split and has worked well, especially with all of the development and infrastructure expansions realized since that time.
By combining the three positions (Road master, Utilities Superintendent, and Director / Project Manager) into one position other facts need to be considered that were not reflected in the report. All three are "working" positions where we are out in the field performing many other duties. When you put into the mix the following LS # 4 project and main line extension, Water plant upgrade, Antrim Commons water line extension, Rochester Place project, to name just a few up and coming major projects one person can not cover everything. If they would cross train with the limited staff projects will not get the attention they need without contracting additional engineering / inspection needs and at what additional costs?
Page 32 Equipment
