Director’s Report: 

             Danbury’s Public Works Department is comprised of 4 divisions which ultimately provide for the core of city services received by the residents and taxpayers. Together, these divisions comprise one of the most diversified Public Works Departments in the State of Connecticut with a work force totaling 140 employees. In the summer months, the employee population reaches over 160.  Division heads and middle management staff are experienced in their respective fields and work well as a team.  The director is hands-on and often is in the field with his managers and staff. 

            The Public Works Department manages approximately $30 million dollars in the delivery of their services to the public. These divisions, working together under the leadership of the Public Works Director and the supervision of Supervisors, are responsible for the control and maintenance of all City owned or leased structures and the balance of the city’s infrastructure.

            The Administration of all the responsibilities of the Public Works Department is very complex and challenging. The Public Works Director strives to create a team approach to carry out all of the tasks that the department must perform. The overall success of the department is largely attributed to the men and women who perform the work and deliver the services. 

            The director is active in his field and continually talks to other municipal public works professionals to share experiences and success stories. The department’s goal is to provide a legacy of making decisions, implementing effective and efficient procedures, and caring for the city’s infrastructure in a way that will provide meaningful, long lasting contributions to our community. 

           All divisions of the Public Works Department had major accomplishments in the 2010/2011 fiscal year. None of these accomplishments would have happened if it was not for the support of the other city departments and the Mayor’s Office. 

            I also want to personally thank my management team and their staff for their patience and steady effort in getting the city through a tough winter and through the yearly programs with less staff and other critical resources.

            Goals for our department include a concentrated effort to perform more work with less. The department is prepared to deal with budget and personnel cuts and will strive to deliver the same level of services as in the past. The director has empowered his division managers and their immediate staff to look at more cost effective ways to perform work. All new ideas are considered and analyzed, much like a private business would. We are focused on generating as much revenue as possible, and we have already started to sell millings which have generated a new income stream.

            One of our major accomplishments was our ability to efficiently work through one of the worst winters we have had in a long time. Despite the severe blizzards of 2011, the Public Works Department was able to clear our roads and keep people moving, businesses open and get students to school.  We were able to keep schools in the district open in spite of roof snow accumulations. Our staff partnered with volunteer and paid fire department personnel and made great progress removing snow from the roofs.

            The Public Works Department participated in additional training through the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS). The Association of Public Works Professionals of Housatonic Valley has been working with DEMHS to secure important training and equipment. The director coordinated the second round of training for the Association which included all of the Region 5 towns. This year the director was also actively involved in securing a pole camera and two digital signs for regional use.

            The Third Annual Public Works Awareness and Employee Recognition Day, part of National Public Works Week, was held on May 23, 2010.  This event was well attended and provided for more team building, not only between divisions but with other city departments.  The event was also attended by several residents and almost 100 grammar school children.  Besides the team building theme, the event is geared towards bringing an awareness to the resources that exist in the City of Danbury’s Public Works Department, the staff that makes it all happen, and career opportunities that the Public Works Industry can provide to young men and women.