Shawangunk in search of a good mechanic

By Ted Remsnyder
Posted 7/24/19

Finding a mechanic to fix the array of heavy machinery found in a highway garage is no easy task, and the Town of Shawangunk Highway Department has been searching for a new mechanic since May. With …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Shawangunk in search of a good mechanic

Posted

Finding a mechanic to fix the array of heavy machinery found in a highway garage is no easy task, and the Town of Shawangunk Highway Department has been searching for a new mechanic since May. With the winter season only several months away, the agency hopes to have someone in place in the near future.

During his report to the Shawangunk Town Board during its meeting on Thursday night, Highway Superintendent Joseph LoCicero said the hiring process is in full swing. “We are still without a mechanic,” he informed the board during last week’s meeting. “We interviewed three candidates yesterday and I thought all three were very good.” LoCicero added that the department has two or three more interviews scheduled this week for the position, but the agency is still accepting applications.

Three of the department’s trucks are currently down. “It’s very hard to find a mechanic,” LoCicero told the board. “I’m noticing more and more as I drive around that other mechanic shops are also looking for mechanics. So it seems to be a dying art in some way. Unfortunately the mechanic we need here has to be kind of a hands-on, all-around kind of mechanic. It can’t just be a gas mechanic or a small-engine mechanic. He’s got to be diesel and big engines and construction equipment.”

LoCicero noted that the village has attracted hungry, young applicants in their early 20s eager to fill the position, but they don’t have the experience working on that variety of equipment, and the department head said he’s wary about having a young hire train on the job with millions of dollar’s worth of the agency’s equipment.

Councilman Robert Miller suggested the possibility of hiring a semi-retired older master mechanic on a part-time basis to train a younger mechanic. LoCicero replied that he liked the idea, but would have to clear it with the union first and also said he hoped for funding for an assistant mechanic during the next budget season.

In May, the board heard a presentation from a rep from the Munistat financial advisory firm about the possible savings the village could incur by refinancing the bonds the town issued in 2009 to fund the construction of the Town Hall. During the July 18 meeting, the board unanimously passed a resolution to refund the bonds. The bonds included a 10-year call, so the time was right to pass the resolution. “We had to do this to start the ball rolling so we can call the bonds in November and then resell them,” Town Supervisor John Valk said. “There’s a certain window, so that’s why we started it now.”

The resolution states that “Whereas, it appears that it would be in the public interest to refund $2,595,000 outstanding principal amount of the 2009 Bonds maturing in each of the years 2020 through 2034.” The refinancing could save the town between $17,000 to $20,000 per year from 2020 to 2034, according to projections.

“It’s an estimated savings of $20,000 per year, which is nice for our budget,” Valk said. “That’s about half the cost of a police car. It’s the same thing, we’re not doing anything different. It’s a good way to save money. We’ve also been able to get two or three percent (interest) on our CDs, so we’re starting to get some income coming in. We haven’t seen that since 2007. So it’s encouraging for governments that the economy is picking up, it’s helping a little bit.”