Hempfield promotes public works employee to new operations manager post

Hempfield supervisors on Monday created a new position in the public works department aimed at maintaining the township’s fleet and tracking maintenance on vehicles.

The board hired current public works employee Jonathan Shrum as operations manager. He will be paid an annual salary of $65,000 in the new role.

“I think we need to have a renewed effort to keep our newer and better pieces of equipment in that advanced condition instead of letting those things age,” public works director Austin Erhard told supervisors last week in requesting the position be created.

Supervisors voted unanimously 4-0 to create the position. Supervisor George Reese opposed the hire in a 3-1 vote. Supervisor Tom Logan was absent.

“I do think that this is a good path forward for a department that has a $6 million budget,” township manager Aaron Siko said previously.

Under the new duties, Shrum will be responsible for keeping an inventory of vehicles and projecting when to replace them based on industry standards.

“The need for a fleet maintenance plan is also apparent,” Erhard said. “We have staff mechanics, they are very talented at what they do, but I think the need for a focus on proper record keeping and decision making when it comes to replacement and maintenance jobs is very necessary. I think that’s a spot that we are currently lacking in.”

Issues with maintenance records came about last month when supervisors spent $174,000 to buy a new day cab tractor in an unexpected purchase. Erhard said records in various forms that he was able to pull together showed repairs on the township’s old tractor were repeated over and over for the last few years.

A day cab tractor is is used to haul a trailer and heavy public works equipment such as a paver or excavator. The township’s model from the 1990s had at least $27,000 in maintenance and repeated engine issues.

In addition, the operations manager can help with purchasing, vendor contracts and other business.