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Department of Public Works
Mission
The Caroline County Department of Public Works is a goal-oriented
organization for a variety of County services. These services
include Administration, Central Shop, Roads, and Special
Services. Special Services consists of Mosquito Control, Noxious Weed Control, Gypsy Moth Control,
Recycling, Building Maintenance, and Solid Waste.
Source of Funds
Funding for this department comes from a variety of sources.
Fees for services help fund the Central Shop and Special
Services programs: Noxious Weed Control, Mosquito Control, and
Gypsy Moth Control. State funds also contribute to Special
Service programs to include Recycling. State revenues fund the
Roads programs. Federal funds contribute to Roads, the Central
Shop and Administration. County tax revenues fund these
Special Services programs: Building Maintenance
and Solid Waste.
Distribution of Funds
Road building and maintenance take up almost half of our
budget (46%) with Special Services taking 31%, Central Shop
16%, and Administration 7%.
Department Divisions
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
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Back Row, left to right: Monty Monteith, Special
Services Supervisor; Wilbur Levengood, Fleet
Manager; Diane Pippin, Management Associate;
Bryan North, Project Coordinator; Harry Cole,
Director; Charles E. Emerson, Jr.,
Former Director
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The mission of the Administration Division is to provide the
citizens with quality, courteous, and cost-effective service.
This division provides administrative and clerical support to
all divisions within Public Works. It excels in prioritizing
objectives to reach quantifiable goals.
The Administration Division maintains a record of requests
and services provided by all divisions. The division
handled 1,523 service requests in 2006.
CENTRAL SHOP
The Central Shop provides the County with cost-effective
fuels, maintenance, and repairs to its vehicles and equipment.
The Central Shop is now operating a preventative maintenance
plan, and we are looking for and developing new strategies in
this field.
Central Shop maintains and keeps service records
for 12 agencies and fuel records for 28 agencies. Billing
for fuel, repairs, and labor are generated from Central Shop
as well as monthly fuel reports for State required taxes.
Central Shop also schedules and keeps records on outside
repairs and warranty work. Central Shop will be updating its
record keeping with a new Fleet Management package and new
computer equipment. Central Shop responsibilities also
include capital purchases, and titling and licensing of the
purchased vehicles.
ROADS
The Roads Division must supply a quality road and bridge system
to meet the needs of the traveling public. The Division is
committed to doing this in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective
manner.
For Roads Board Minutes Please Click Here
There are 481 miles of roadway in the system; 399 miles are
paved. This budget reflects a change in focus. The paved and
gravel roads will be pursued by making advancements in standard
changes. We replace bridges with the most modern design,
build roads to established standards, and install signs and
highway markings for safe passage on Caroline County roadways.
The Roads Division is committed to maintaining the roads
infrastructure. This iincludes widening and surfacing
unpaved roadways. As funds are available, roads with an
average daily traffic count of 1,000 per day will be
considered for hotmix overlay, and the replacement of
several restricted bridges.
The Division will address high shoulders on the surfaced
roadways to allow water to flow off. Roads personnel will
reclaim Mason Branch Road, from MD 312 to Sparks Road.
Forty miles of gravel dirt road overlays and improvements
are also in the five year plan. 200 miles of paved roads
will be retreated.
Several improvement projects throughout the County that
involve pipes, ditches, and guardrails will be done.
Improvements made by a safety study of the entire roads
system will be performed. We will address approximately
900 service requests a year.
SPECIAL SERVICES
The Special Services Division provides the public with a
variety of services: solid waste and recycling trash disposal
programs, animal control, insect control, and noxious weed
control. This division is also responsible for maintaining
the County's buildings.
The Special Services Division is funded through general funds,
fees, and State funds. Its programs include:
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Building Maintenance operates with
one full time and one part time employee. This program helps
reduce building maintenance costs that otherwise would be
contracted.
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The Gypsy Moth Program, in cooperation
with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, monitors the
woodlands of Caroline County for infestations of this forest
pest. At such times that control measures are warranted, the
county has in place a program to deal with the needs and
concerns of those citizens affected.
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The Mosquito Control Program, with
technical support from Maryland Department of Agriculture,
provides our citizens a safe and economical means of controlling
mosquitoes throughout Caroline County. This program annually
through the adulticide spraying alone serves an average of 265
private residents along with five towns and five public parks.
Many acres of standing water, which is prime mosquito breeding
habitat, are treated every spring to reduce the adult mosquito
population. Annual revenue from spraying is consistently
$20,000, which helps make this a self-supported program.
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The Solid Waste Division has been upgrading equipment to
handle the increasing amount of household waste and recyclables
produced in Caroline County.
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