Work backlog awaits new Lynn DPW director

LYNN – When Andrew Hall takes over the reins of the Department of Public Works Tuesday, he will face what Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi describes as a tall task.”He’s got no idea what he’s in for,” Lozzi said Friday. “He’s a nice guy and, I would add, a very competent guy.”The City Council voted unanimously to accept Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy’s appointment making Hall, who until recently worked as the resident engineer for the Lynn Water & Sewer Department, the fourth DPW director in as many years. The council took the vote shortly after it held a public hearing on the budget where it was announced that DPW’s budget would be cut by $180,000 for fiscal year 2015. The frustration among councilors was nearly palpable.”It kills me, that $180,000 cut. We are so backed up,” said Ward 7 Councilor Rick Ford.Ward 3 Councilor Darren Cyr said there is a seven-year backlog of projects in his ward.”Number one on the list is streets,” he said. “I’ve had streets on the list to get paved for seven years.”Sidewalks, curb cuts, tree trimming, stumps that have been hanging around for two and three years are the kinds of constituent calls Cyr said he receives but hasn’t been able to respond to because the DPW is too short-handed.Kennedy said Tuesday she doesn’t believe the backup is a result of a lack of bodies but because of inconsistent leadership. Former DPW Jay Fink left the post in spring of 2012 and Manuel Alcantara stepped in but retired a little over one year later. Deputy Commissioner Lisa Nerich filled in until JT Gaucher was tapped to act as interim, and now his tenure has ended to make way for Hall.Cyr didn’t buy Kennedy’s argument that a lack of consistent leadership was the problem.”I respectfully disagree,” he said.Twenty years ago there were more than 100 DPW employees, Cyr said, and today there are 47 for a city of 90,000.”And that includes mechanics, who are also being asked to do more, clerks and secretaries,” he said. “So you have maybe 30 or 35 people, and I think I’m being generous, on the street.”Ford agrees with Cyr that it’s a manpower issue. He was quick to praise the DPW workers on the job but equally quick to say there are not enough of them.”We have 47, we’ve never been that short,” he said. “We need younger and more.”Cyr noted that part of the problem is the DPW workforce is aging and retiring but positions aren’t being filled.Both Ford and Lozzi pointed out that there are only two tree crews.Ford said he has 20 trees that need trimming or to be removed in his ward alone, and by the time the crew gets to his ward, he has 20 more.And if one man on the tree crew goes out sick or with an injury or on vacation, the truck doesn’t go out, Cyr said.”You have to have two men on a truck,” he explained.Like Cyr, Lozzi and Ford said constituent issues center mostly on roadwork, sidewalks and trees. Ford said he is grateful that Cottage Street is getting paved, but it’s the only street in his ward getting redone.”Wyman Street was on the list last year and didn’t get done,” he said. “They said there was money to do it this year. It’s my worst street, it’s terrible, I get calls about it all the time.”Ford said if DPW could at the very least fix the potholes, it would be a big help.Neither Lozzi nor Cyr or Ford had a definitive answer on how to solve the problem aside from hiring bodies. Cyr said he understands it’s a difficult financial time for the city, but he also feels it’s at a critical point in terms of repairs.Lozzi said the council’s public works subcommittee has been meeting with the DPW to try and figure out how to attack the backlog and improve services but nothing much has changed. Gaucher planned to implement some changes, but Hall was hired before he had the chance, Lozzi said.”I’m looking forward to working with Andy and trying to help the DPW move forward,” he added. “It’s a tall task. DPW is asked to do an awful lot.”Ford said he would like to review the budget one more time and see if there isn’t some suppleme