McAlmond hired as first DPW deputy director

Jan. 7, 2016 | Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – The town created a new position – Department of Public Works (DPW) deputy director – and hired DPW assistant director Geoff McAlmond for the job.

McAlmond told Reminder Publications former DPW Director Michael Wrabel recommended him to Town Manager Stephen Crane, who recently hired McAlmond.

“In analyzing the department [and] getting to know Geoff and his broad range of skills and experience, having a manager secondary only to the director that oversees all of the DPW divisions … It really was a much more sensible way to organize the department,” Crane said.

McAlmond said he previously worked as the DPW deputy director of Enfield, CT, for 20 years.

He retired from the neighboring community in 2010 and become involved with a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning business for three years before coming back to work in the public works field as West Springfield’s DPW deputy director in November 2013.

“Between talking to [Wrabel] and [Crane] last spring, they convinced me that [working as assistant director] would be a good fit for me and it has turned out to be,” he noted. “I find the people refreshing in Longmeadow. [They’re] very nice people to work with [and] all the residents that I come into contact with.”

He added as assistant director he was responsible for operations of the highway and grounds divisions as well as overseeing trash and recycling collections.

He started the position in April 2015.

“I’ll continue to do that as well as be the tree warden and additionally I’ll be the designated second charge of the department so that if for some reason [DPW Director] Mario Mazza is out I’ll be set to step and keep the chair warm until he’s ready to come back,” McAlmond said. “That means I’ll have to have a good handle on what’s going on in the department overall. I envision it’ll become a two-man team.”

He said he aims to recommend ideas and be informative to Mazza.

“There might be times where my experience in the past may be beneficial,” he added.

McAlmond said he believes the greatest need for the department to construct a new facility to replace the “outdated” one that was constructed in the 1930s.

“I can’t keep the major plow trucks and sander trucks in the winter,” he noted. “I don’t have heated space to keep them inside … The crew quarters are atrocious. When you’re there for an extended duration of time, you do want to be somewhere decent where you don’t have to be concerned if you fall asleep something might be nibbling on your toes. Unfortunately, it’s a facility that probably outlived its use almost 25 years ago and we’re still here.”

The DPW Facility Task Force also recently became a committee of the Select Board and is now subject to open meeting, Crane said. The group was previously a town manager’s task force.

The task force agreed that a section of Wolf Swamp Field is its preferred site for the home of a new DPW facility.

Another site – the privately owned Grande Meadows Athletic Club – is also a potential site.

“The recommendations developed by the task force remain the recommendations that we are continuing to analyze,” he added. “This is really just a structural change to how the committee operates. I’m supportive of it. Every project has its own set of chapters or lifespan … I think we are at the stage of development with this project where we really do have to have a more formalized committee where the votes are recorded in the minutes and it’s all documented.”

Crane said former DPW Facilities Director Chris Reed, who worked with the department for 21 years, also recently left his position for a job at Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA).

“He had an opportunity at WMA that was a great opportunity for him and his family and it’s a big loss for that department,” he added. “Chris is a Longmeadow resident, so we plan to keep him involved with the DPW Task Force so we can continue to have the benefits of his knowledge and insight.” 

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