Staff shortage causes strain on maintenance department

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Milford City Maintenance Supervisor Gary TeSelle said the city was very fortunate to endure only a light ice bath in the middle of last week.

TeSelle said the significant number of downed branches sustained during consecutive summer storms meant there were few susceptible branches left to fall this time around. Had the city endured more than a half-inch of precipitation, it could have been much worse.

And as TeSelle heard the branches cracking and popping he was thankful it didn't get worse.

That's because right now, it's just TeSelle. He is the city's maintenance department.

Staffing shortages in the maintenance department mean delays on snow removal, for example. That could be about a two-hour delay compared to full-staffed efforts.

“I started with school routes then go back and finish downtown,” TeSelle said. “That's the biggest concern during the short time is if we get a storm. Doing that with a one-man band would be really slow.”

Some projects that take three hours would more than double because it's one person would have to switch equipment constantly.

TeSelle wasn't alone during Milford's abrupt October storm so Milford experienced few hiccups in maintenance. He credited Mark Frey and Chuck Wergin for their help.

A one-person department has also put the city behind schedule on other projects. TeSelle said he's behind on street sweeping and tree trimming. Winterizing bathrooms and sprinkler systems by himself took priority. He was doing that instead of flushing hydrants. The Milford Volunteer Fire Department volunteered to help but TeSelle hasn't had time to lay out plans for that project. Then helping with underground projects, getting fuel downtown and being on-hand for Bluestem internet installation has pulled him in multiple directions.

But hope is on the way. Milford City Council members approved a new hire at the Nov. 3 meeting and that person is scheduled to start Nov. 23. TeSelle said he's hopeful to be back to a fully operational staff by early December.

“We'll be a lot better off, hopefully, by the first or second week of December,” he said.

By then the city may have introduced a new chemical to its salt mix on streets. That chemical, a Meltdown APEX, is similar to what the state uses and is meant to thaw ice in temperatures 12 degrees and lower. Salt only works until about 20 degrees.

“We had one ice storm last year we couldn't get to melt because temps stayed below 10,” he said. “We didn't have anything come close to cutting that. This is a little more expense with a little more upkeep. But we'll keep making things safer.”