Windham Town Council approves hire of new Public Works Director with Fortier retirement

By Ed Pierce

A familiar face will be returning to serve the Town of Windham as Jon Earle has been hired as the town’s new Public Works Director, succeeding Doug Fortier, who is retiring in early November.

Jon Earle, left, has been hired by the Town of Windham as
its new Public Works Director. He will succeed Doug Fortier,
right, who is retiring in early November after 31 years
with the department. COURTESY PHOTOS 

Earle emerged as the leading candidate for the job from a field of seven candidates with an interview process held to identify a candidate with the background, skills and experience that would be a good match for the position. The Public Works Director has primary responsibility for the organization, operation, and overall performance of the town’s Public Works Department. Duties include oversight for the department and administration of the departmental budget and the supervision of all department employees.

“Jon worked for the town for a little over two years as Town Engineer,” said Phyllis Moss, the town’s Human Resources Director in a memo to the council. “During that time, I had the opportunity to spend time with Jon and I feel confident he will be successful in the role of Public Works Director. My interaction with him demonstrated that he has the real passion for public works and is a clear communicator, ethical, analytical, and has excellent interpersonal skills. The position of Director of Public Works can be challenging, but I believe he has the background, skills, experience, and personal attributes needed for the position. We would be privileged to have him as part of our team.”

He graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and has completed graduate coursework at the University of Southern Maine in Public Administration. Earle currently serves as the Supervisor of Engineering Services for the Maine Water Company and is responsible for capital project delivery and oversight in 12 public water systems serving more than 32,000 customers across the state. Earle also obtained a graduate certificate in Public Management from the Muskie School of Public Service.

His work history includes more than 22 years of progressively responsible public and private sector experience, including nine years in management roles. During his professional career, Earle has been responsible for budget management, personnel hiring and development, in both union and non-union environments. He is also a member his local planning board and is currently a board member of the Maine Society of Professional Engineers.

Earle will be responsible for Highway Maintenance, which includes winter plowing as well as maintaining all town roads, ditches, shoulders, drainage and other infrastructures; vehicle maintenance, which includes maintenance of all equipment from excavators and backhoes down to chain saws and hand compactors, as well as the police and town office vehicles; and Buildings & Grounds, which includes care of over 20 town cemeteries, nine municipal buildings, and two intersections. His duties will include budgeting, seeking grant money for roads, working on capital equipment replacement plans, getting bids for anything from equipment purchase to buying winter sand and salt. Another part of his job is hiring when there are vacancies.

Fortier has served as Windham’s Public Works Director for the past 20 years and has been a member of the town’s Public Works Department for 31 years overall. He was first hired in 1992 as a member of the grounds crew but was almost immediately moved into a truck driver position. In 1999, he was promoted to Equipment Operator where he gained valuable supervisory experience. In 2001, Fortier was promoted to the role of Deputy Public Works Director and then appointed as the town’s Director of Public Works in May 2004.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said Fortier will be missed and what he’s done through the years to help the town is remarkable.

Tibbetts said that Fortier oversaw the construction of the $9.3-million Shared Maintenance Facility which was completed in the fall of 2019 under budget; worked with Gorrill Palmer on the design and bidding and construction for all phases of the Brand Road reconstruction and the Hillcrest Drainage project renewing 28 infiltration bed­ style catch basins; worked with Gorrill Palmer on the design to reconstruct the Route 302 shoulders to create the center turn lane north of the Anglers Road intersection for 7,200 feet and assisted in securing a contractor for the $1.5 million dollar project; secured an additional $50,000 from the Maine Department of Transportation to help with the expense on the Route 302 turn lane; worked with Gorrill Palmer on the design for reconstruction and pedestrian enhancements for Depot Street; and worked with the town engineer in securing a Maine DOT MPI grant of up to $625,000 for the Route 302 North smart signal and intersection improvements, among many projects he has been involved with.

“These accomplishments only touch the surface,” Tibbetts said. “Doug has taken an active role in union negotiations, interviewed, and hired candidates for positions throughout Public Works, provided learning opportunities and encouragement to employees, and let's not forget Merry Christmas Trees, his business located here in Windham. Speaking for the entire town, I would like to thank Doug publicly for his years of dedication and wish him a very merry retirement.” <

Public Works crews ready to tackle snowstorms this winter

Town of Windham snowplows stand ready to begin clearing 
streets as winter nears in the Sebago Lakes region. Both
Windham and Raymond Department of Public Works directors
say crews, equipment and supplies are prepared for when winter
storms strike the area this winter. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 
 

By Ed Pierce

Winter is nearing and both Public Works Departments in Windham and Raymond say they are ready to clear away snow when storms strike in the Lakes Region.    

Members of the Windham Public Works Department plow about about 120 total miles of roadways every winter and the department’s ongoing priority during the winter months is to keep Windham roads clear and safe with residents able to commute on town streets without incident.

According to Doug Fortier, Windham Public Works Director, Windham typically deploys 17 drivers to plow town streets during snowstorms, but depending upon weather conditions, other department staff members may be drafted to help out if needed.

“For us it’s all hands on deck during storms,” Fortier said. “You could see custodians or other all town workers shoveling or clearing parking lots.”

Fortier said that the department has ordered two new trucks to assist with plowing operations but may not see those new vehicles until next summer.

"They have been ordered but we haven’t seen them yet,” he said. “We use salt and sand and do what we have to do to keep the roads clear.”

Windham snow removal vehicles are equipped with two-way radio communications to direct plow drivers to address problem intersections and roadways as quickly as possible.

Salting roadways in the early stages of a storm keeps the snow from bonding to the pavement and makes for easier removal.  

To create cleaner plowing, Windham may use a little less salt on road surfaces than other towns. It’s estimated that during a typical snowstorm, Windham DPW uses about 60 to 120 tons of salt on town streets.

Salt is purchased and replenished during the summer and off-season months and has been readily available for stockpiling this year.

The most important thing that our residents can do to help us in the snow removal process is to be patient, Fortier said.

Raymond Public Works Director Nathan White said his crew of nine full-time and part-time staff members stands ready for whenever storms hit the town.

“We’ve been ready for some time now,” White said. “We always shut down for the week of Thanksgiving but before we did, we decided to run through everything once again and have everything down just in case.”

He said all Raymond snowplow drivers have reviewed their assigned routes and all snow removal trucks have been prepared for plowing.

White says that Raymond’s Department of Public Works crews maintain about 56 miles of town roads and like their counterparts in Windham, they use salt during snowstorms.

“Our stockpile was purchased using state DOT bidding and actually the price for salt dropped slightly from a year ago,” White said. “It wasn’t a big decrease, but it did go down some and every little bit helps.”

White said a sandpile has been replenished near Raymond Public Works for residents who need sand for their residential driveway.

The sand can be found in a small wooden shed on the right side of the Public Works lot and residents are limited to no more than a couple of 5-gallon pails of sand at a time. The sandpile is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday but closes during storms because of snowplow traffic.

For this winter season, Raymond has two trucks which will be pressed into snowplow service and White said that the town uses a fleet of up to seven vehicles in total for plowing during snowstorms.

As far as what residents can do to assist during winter storms, White said Raymond crews are experienced and know how to clear roads safely and efficiently.

“We work around our residents, it’s just snow,” he said. “We’re prepared for anything, and this year is no different.” <