Bangor City Councilors listened to Public Works Director Aaron outline a list of challenges at Tuesday night's Infrastructure Committee Meeting, that his department is facing as he plans for the upcoming winter storm season.

"I'll start out with our current state. So we have 40 positions that move snow during winter operations, 13 of those positions are currently vacant, so that's 33% of our staff. Last winter we averaged about 8 positions short all winter, so we're close but we'd really like to not be any more than 8 when snow hits."

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Huotari said there are also 2 foremen that will be managing snow operations both during snowstorms and snow removal and 8 support staff members that work to help handle the things that pop up, with loading the trucks and manning the phones.

He said that while they have worked diligently to add to the staff's roster, with no other potential hires in the current pipeline for plow drivers, Bangor Public Works will have to consider other options to help them keep up with these staffing challenges in the coming months.

William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
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"We do have 10 support positions that support winter operations. One of those foreman positions is vacant. We've chosen not to fill that, talked with the union about it, to not fill that right now because anyone who gets promoted, by contract, will not be plowing right now. So we really need them plowing and the union has agreed to that on principle."

He said the city has just hired 3 new employees to fill some of the positions, but this year, in particular, has been a difficult one when it's come to finding a workforce.

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Huotari explained that construction companies are working longer into the fall to wrap up projects, so the workforce that is usually experiencing that seasonal layoff, hasn't freed up yet, but he's hopeful when the projects stop for the winter, the potential hires will be looking for winter work.

But Huotari said that while the department does face these staffing challenges, they've also been looking at a number of ways to deal with the shortage. He then proceeded to outline potential solutions.

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He said the first one was that the department would be looking into rearranging some of the existing staff, utilizing more of their emergency desk and dispatch crews, many of whom Huotari said came from a highway crew background and were very familiar with the snow removal process.

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Huotari offered up that the department is also exploring bringing back some retirees who have expressed interest in helping with just snowstorm response, and nothing more.

The idea of standby employees was brought up, as was the idea of hiring contractors to specifically haul away the snow after the storm so that snow removal employees (who are usually exhausted following the long hours of removal) could rest up for the next snow event. There was also talk of designating specific City parking lots for snow removal by independent contractors.

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Another option that he hesitantly mentioned to the council, and which a number of councilors did voice concerns over, was the idea that the Public Works department may have to look at the option of discontinuing sidewalk snow removal, just during active storms, so personnel could concentrate on getting the roads plowed first. He stressed that the sidewalk work would resume immediately following the storm.

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Looking forward, Huotari said the City should consider a change in practice when it comes to hiring licensed operators, and perhaps offer some CDL training.

"We need to change our thinking. We've always hired with a license and the license is now becoming not only more expensive but there are some ELDT requirements through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that makes it more difficult for someone to get a license. So we're looking at bringing in laborers who can get paid to train, work patching potholes and washing trucks, and that kind of thing, and get their license in 9-12 weeks and then be in a truck. And while they're working for us, they can be in the training in the passenger's seat, how to operate the plow and that kind of thing. It's a big change for us, but I think it's the right direction for us to go."

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Councilor Dan Tremble suggested the City also suggested reaching out to oil companies, who also employ CDL drivers, to work with them to dip into that workforce as well. While Councilor Joseph Leonard suggested having a conversation with our local guard units, who also have CDL-licensed drivers, to see if there's a potential to work together on the staffing shortage.
Huotari said he would follow up on the suggestions of the council and continue to look for ways to make sure Bangor streets are dealt with this winter.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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"We're on it and we're up to it. I don't think it's gonna be as bad as the picture I'm painting, I really think that we're in a good position to do the right thing by the city. We have lost employees but the employees that are here are pretty dedicated. I think we'll make it through just fine."

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