Chris Stewart, superintendent of Houlton Public Works, recently told the Town Council that the individual who usually runs the sidewalk snowblower had been out on a workers compensation claim, and because of that, the town had not been able to plow the sidewalks as customarily done in the past.
With another open position at the same time, the department also was temporarily forced to change the way streets have been plowed.
For the first time this year, the department plowed snow off to the side in certain areas of the town instead of hauling it up to the snow dump site at Hillview Avenue. Stewart said that this saved time, especially with the department being short staffed.
Stewart stressed that this would not happen all the time, and that the department would still continue to haul snow up to Hillview Avenue the majority of the time.
He said that the individual who runs the sidewalk snowblower is now back to work and will soon be able to return to duty on the machine.
“But we still have one open position that we are talking about hiring someone for,” Stewart said. “This job is difficult in that even if we have one person out with the flu or out on a workers comp issue, it hits the whole department. That means that I have to get out in a truck and plow the roads instead of working in the office and doing my job.”
