Engineering Department lacking personnel
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

When issues arise at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, interim engineer Thomas Ketchum just hopes it's nothing major, as there are fewer employees to maintain the facility.

The more-than-30-year-old plant is in need of major repairs and is being operated with far less staff than necessary.

During Monday's Town Board work session, it was revealed that Jim Johnson has been fired as assistant engineer. Hired in 1995, Johnson was under investigation for failing to abide by the town's residency requirement.

Supervisor Satish Mohan said the investigation by the Town Attorney's Office and Personnel Director Robert McCarthy took several months. During that time, Johnson could not prove he was a resident, Mohan said.

"This issue has been going on for years and started and closed several times," he said, adding that this time he thought it should be seriously addressed.

McCarthy confirmed that Johnson was terminated for failure to meet residency requirements.

Johnson's termination comes just two months after former town engineer Jeff Burroughs resigned in February.

Mohan was asked if he regretted not reappointing Burroughs in January, pending the civil service exam results, and he said no, that he has to follow the process.

The Engineering Department has 28 capital improvement projects slated for this year and needs the staff to work on them.

"I need more help ... I can say very clearly, we are understaffed," Ketchum said during the work session. "There is no way the work can get done with a three-person staff."

Johnson was one of the few employees in the department who held an engineering degree.

"We are running thin on engineers," Ketchum said.

Also, a supervisor at the compost facility retired a few weeks ago. Jeff Angel has been filling in while maintaining his environmental control duties.

"He is being spread thin, too," Ketchum said.

He estimated that the Engineering Department staff is at 100, down from 145 to 150 just a few years ago, adding that the entire department needs a personnel overhaul.

When appointed to serve as interim engineer, Ketchum, who is also commissioner of buildings, was supposed to serve only until April 21. He told the Town Board he doesn't believe that someone will be ready to assume the position at that time.

The civil service exam results were just recently announced, and the town will be accepting applications from qualified and interested candidates through this week. Interviews will then be scheduled.

The town engineer must be presented by the supervisor and approved by the majority of the board.

The town also remains without a superintendent for the Waste Water Treatment Plant, budgeted for 2008.

Mohan said he has a meeting with Erie County about the plant and a possible merger. He said the town will go forward with naming a superintendent if no progress is made.

Ketchum went to the board Monday with major concerns about the treatment plant. As of this weekend, the plant was operating with only one of its four clarifier drive units.

The system filters 29 million gallons of water a day and was facing possible code violations for not being able to treat the water properly.

There was some good news, as it is expected that two of the units will be back on line this week. One has been down for two years. "This raises larger issues," Ketchum said. "We have been struggling for the past few years."

He said he wants to get the issues taken care of and wants the support of the board to go forward with repairing and maintaining the aging facility.

"We are running on fumes at this point," he said. "This is one of the many issues at the treatment plant. It needs attention."

Ketchum added that there are major replacements and repairs that need to be done before violations occur.

"We are not keeping up with what truly needs to be done," he said. "More than anything else, we have a manpower problem."

Mohan said he toured the plant on Tuesday with Ketchum, noting problems, and will put a plan together to solve them.

He is also reviewing how to hire engineers to fill the many administrative openings.