Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Simsbury public works director outlines department roles: highway, engineering, facilities and wastewater operations
Summary
Public works director Tom Roy described the town’s public works divisions — highway, engineering, buildings and grounds, and the wastewater treatment plant — and explained responsibilities, staffing and services including plowing, roadway maintenance, capital projects and tours at the wastewater facility.
Simsbury’s public works director provided an overview of the department’s offices and services, detailing responsibilities from plowing and roadway maintenance to capital project engineering and wastewater treatment.
Tom Roy said the highway department handles paving, plowing and roadside trees on town roads (about 165 miles of the town’s 191 miles of roadway). He noted state roads are maintained by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and that town crews sometimes assist during severe winter operations or when police request help on state routes.
Roy described the engineering unit as a “very small department” with roughly 2.5 full‑time staff who manage capital projects and grants, including the Flower Bridge, new pickleball courts and Tarafill Trail. He named Adam Kessler as deputy town engineer who oversees larger capital projects and associated grants.
Buildings and grounds staff maintain town facilities including town hall, the police station, the library and other properties. Roy said their work is often unnoticed until something goes wrong, such as HVAC outages.
Roy also described the Wastewater Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) treatment plant near the boathouse as a largely behind‑the‑scenes operation charged with protecting the Farmington River. Tony Piazza was named as plant superintendent; Roy said the plant treats town wastewater, accepts material from local septic pumping operations and that the treated outflow is cleaner than the water in the Farmington River. The plant offers tours and brings in elementary school groups, Roy said.
Roy also noted the town operates a landfill on Wolcott Road and maintains a project administrator to oversee sidewalks and smaller projects.
The overview emphasized collaboration across units and with volunteers on planning and capital projects.
