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New Town Engineer gets feet wet |
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Saturday, 26 September 2009 |
HANNAH PIECUCH
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After more than a year of paying a contractor to provide engineering services for the town, Coventry has a town engineer again, according to Town Manager Thomas Hoover.
Although the previous town council collapsed the engineering department in February 2008 in order to save funds for the town, the new council decided they could save more money by hiring a full time engineer, according to Council Vice-President Laura Flanagan.
While drafting the 2009-2010 budget, the town council decided to put a full-time engineer position back into the budget, said Council President Raymond Spear.
The contractor was only able to give two to three hours a day to Coventry’s business, Flanagan said, and was continually going over budget.
The new full-time engineer position is for a salary of roughly $67,000—less than $70,000 when benefits are added in—and it will save the town $50,000 at the least on an annual basis, Flanagan said.
“We’re taking a contractual position that is only a few hours a day—with the costs exceeding our budget—and changing that to a salaried person who will not only work eight hours a day, but will also attend meetings that are important to his department,” she said.
The new town engineer had his first day of work last Monday, Hoover, but he is no stranger to the Pawtuxet Valley.
Robert Joyal, engaged as town engineer for Coventry, was previously the town engineer for West Warwick. He also worked for the town of Cumberland in northern Rhode Island, Flanagan added.
Hoover and Public Works Director Dennis Smith chose Joyal out of a pool eight applicants, he said. One of the requirements of the position was that the applicant be a licensed engineer in Rhode Island; this eliminated three applicants. Of the remaining five, Joyal was the best fit, Hoover said.
“I was looking for someone with water and sewer expertise in the area of civil engineering,” Hoover said. “And [Joyal] is a water reclamation and water person—that is his expertise in engineering.”
At the end of his first week, Joyal is just “getting [his] feet wet,” Joyal said.
“I’m reading up on the projects that are ongoing in Coventry and I’m just looking forward to helping the community as much as I can,” he added.
Joyal will be doing basically all of the engineering services that are needed for the town, Hoover said. Working under Smith, his office will be in the Town Hall Annex and he will be assisting zoning, planning, public works and any engineering needs that the town has.
“He has to check engineering portions of plans submitted on a regular basis for planning commission and zoning board, permits and approval by the planning and zoning boards,” Hoover continued. “He will probably be appearing on many occasions at those board meetings to speak on behalf of the town and he’ll be actually looking at various capital improvement projects as well as expected to prepare plans and specifications and bid documents for some projects for the town. The sky is the limit.”
Upon hiring Joyal, the town released Crossman Engineering from their contractual agreement with the town, Hoover said.
The town will still be using contracted engineering services for the sewers, Hoover added. Weston and Sampson oversee the residential aspects of sewers and James J. Geremia and Associates Inc. handles the commercial aspects.
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