I guess I’m just getting too old. Whatever happened to Department of Public Works (DPW) workers bringing their own thermos of coffee on the job with them? Now, they drive the Town’s dump trucks, front-loaders and sidewalk tractors to get their coffee at the local convenience store or McDonalds; and it doesn’t seem to matter how far from the job site they have to go to get their coffee (see our April 15th posting.)
I thought coffee breaks were supposed to be 15 minutes. These coffee breaks are certainly longer than that because it takes them longer than 15 minutes just to drive there, buy the coffee and drive back to the job site. How much does it cost taxpayers to have the workers drive town vehicles from the job site to the place where they buy the coffee?
Another example of being oblivious to the cost is the use (or misuse) of sidewalk tractors. In the winter, the DPW employees ride the sidewalk tractors from the Newfields Road DPW yard to the sidewalks to be cleared. It doesn’t matter if the sidewalk is nearby or all the way out on Holland Way. This commute puts unnecessary wear and tear on the sidewalk tractors. Why doesn’t the DPW put them on a trailer and drop them near the sidewalk to be cleared? We could easily double the life of these vehicles by doing so. (And, transit time would be considerable shorter.) Or, maybe it doesn’t matter to people that decide how to use these vehicles because the taxpayer will just buy them a new one when these wear out.
This may sound like nitpicking, but it is symptomatic of the concept of who pays for all of this. Obviously, it’s the taxpayer; but is anyone concerned about how our money is spent?The Town Manager is ultimately responsible for the overall management of the Town departments. What message is he sending to department heads as it relates to issues of performance?
Similar theme with the new and shiny Hook and Ladder fire truck ? Was it really "old technology" and not worth fixing? I am not convinced.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of employees of the town, why is there no women on the EPD? What type of work environment is seemingly present that makes for an all male force?
ReplyDeleteApropos subject Publius. Can some publish a tally of the OT pay and expenses being spent by Exeter for the two days memorial services for Brentwood part-time PD officer Arkell.
ReplyDeleteAnticipate the justification of an armored car and tools of violence by EPD based on an incident that should have never occurred involving Arkell.
Correct on Arkell. Not sure why the press is avoiding the fact that the alleged perpetrator was known to be unstable and previous visits to the house by the police department are recorded.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 10:03. Shame on you for not being a patriot. Chief Kane's salary should be tripled. EPD should have a BEARCAT for all traitors who question its authority. Submit and obey. Only the police should have guns and motorcycles.
ReplyDelete