BANGOR, Maine — Cities and towns across Maine have been struggling with staffing shortages over the last year, and the city of Bangor is no exception. Its public works department has been working hard to bounce back from a lack of plow drivers and other staff.
Aaron Huotari, Bangor Public Works director, said he was down 18 plow drivers as of last spring. But the city decided to offer its own CDL license training course, which has since helped Huotari to hire more staff.
"We were really nervous going into the fall, I spoke with the council and let them know that we may have to look at a number of other plans, a number of other solutions to getting snow removed. Since that conversation with them, it seems like we've really had a lot of applicants," Huotari said.
Huotari said several new plow drivers were ready to hit the streets during the storm this weekend. As they hit the roads, he added it's important for drivers to be cautious when driving near plows and not get too close.
"A lot of these new drivers are just learning to operate while they're pushing snow, putting down salt and sand at the same time. We'd really like to give them a lot of space. It really makes them feel a lot more comfortable if you're not getting too close, and not trying to squeeze in, not trying to get out in front of them when there's very little space," Huotari said.
Huotari said several new drivers will be starting this week and coming back to help them get back to full staff.
Now, Huotari said the problem is hiring more electricians in his department. They currently have three on staff but haven't been able to fill the remaining three vacancies. He said these workers play an important role during storms.
"If an intersection goes down because somebody impacted a pole or struck something that takes out the power to that intersection, they come in pretty quickly, get that fixed, sometimes they have to set up generators, and we're fortunate we have three left and they have a great deal of experience so we have enough to respond," Huotari said.
The city of Bangor's parking ban is also in effect. To learn more about where to park, click here.