Highway Superintendent Fred Schweiger and the Town of Barton
Ruksana Hussain - CEG Correspondent - September 2024
When first approached to run for the highway superintendent position in the town of Barton, Fred Schweiger recalls it wasn't an easy decision.
Knowing the superintendent at that time that he was running against was a challenge.
He also was enjoying his job as concrete batch plant manager/quality assurance manager of Porter's, where he was completing a five-year stint.
But the conviction that he wanted to make a difference in his town fueled his efforts.
Elected to office in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, Fred is a Barton native, having lived there 56 years and counting.
Fred took on his new role and was dealt his first challenge within months when the pandemic was announced.
Undeterred, he geared his focus toward getting to know the rest of the team as the new employee and new supervisor.
"I like seeing my crew and the comradery involved," he said. "They are a great group to work with and I feel like a proud parent when they complete a project."
The variety of work is Fred's favorite part of his job. It's an especially good day "when that ice storm that was forecast never materializes!" but could easily be one of the worst days "when three pieces of equipment break down within the span of an hour at the start of the day. Different seasons lead to different work and challenges. Sometimes, there's a curve ball in the day, sometimes more."
Even during frustrating scenarios where all parties involved might not see eye-to-eye, Fred's positive mindset diminishes any conflicts.
"I like bridging the gap between misunderstandings and misconceptions, solving problems and helping people walk away feeling satisfied with the outcome."
Serving as Superintendent
Fred's proactive attitude has seen multiple projects to fruition.
"The big project we completed over the last three years was to turn all the gravel roads to asphalt," he said. "Currently, we have in our creeks three retaining walls that need building. There are also two bridges with scoured footings that need work. About 13 miles of chip sealing was completed in May and 5.25 miles of paving in June. We're now moving onto some driveway culvert requests and starting on the retaining wall projects and then the bridge footings."
Other projects completed include eliminating gravel roads, improving the equipment line, improving office operations and expanding storage space.
"The team approached me my first year with a project they had been wanting to do cleaning up and expanding our storage yard," he said. "There was an old stockpile of scrap pipes and steel that had been accumulating for years and a lot of brush that limited the usable yard space. The local scrap company dropped a roll off and the guys started loading it out."
They ended up with $33,000 in scrap and $72,000 in the sale of the old broken, unneeded and unusable equipment, and the resulting $105,000 paid for the 2019 Dodge with plow and sander plus the purchase of the Broce Broom.
"As time permitted, over the course of a few months, my guys had cleared out two acres and reorganized the yard. Now, I keep a roll off on site and all scrap is deposited into it as it's created. When full, the scrap company swaps it out and a check is sent to the town for deposit into our equipment reserve."
Training Grounds
Fred believes his past experiences have all contributed in some way, shape or form toward his current role. And that goes back to being born and raised on the farm his father started in the 1950s from savings during his years in the Navy.
Over time, the farm expanded in both acreage and number of cattle. Fred's formative years were spent helping around the farm, where self-sufficiency was a way of life.
"We mixed our own concrete, learned to fix, weld, do plumbing, electrical, construction. My father was raised during the depression. They didn't have a lot and they saved what they had. I did a lot of mechanics work, you didn't throw anything away, if you'd take parts off, you might be able to use elsewhere."
One of Barton's board members, Jeff Coleman, has aptly coined this "Schweigerizing."
"Do the best you can with what you have and make it work because there no use complaining about it," Fred said. "The way I was raised and the experiences I had definitely helped me for these future roles. No problem getting up early, managing a crew, talking to your hired hands."
That's until a catastrophic barn fire in 2008 resulted in an end to farm operations in 2009.
"That was my first traumatic event. It was like a death in the family." He was 41 when he left to pursue work off site.
Learning the Ropes
As the northeast regional manager of Pruitt Tools, a gas and oilfield sales and service company, a five-year stint saw Fred starting from manager and promoted within a year, establishing stores, running equipment and servicing at gas rigs, and even helping with moving to electronic billing, until the area dried up and he was unable to relocate.
The next five years at Porter's Concrete, aggregate testing, concrete mixers and computers and billing became part of Fred's everyday schedule. Interestingly, the highway department is located right across the road from Porter's.
Perhaps the path to superintendent was kismet.
"The strong farmer work ethic and the drive to always learn and adapt that came from a farming lifestyle was the foundation that served well in taking on the roles that Pruitt and Porter's required of me," Fred said. "The sales and service aspects from Pruitt and Porter's has helped in communicating to residents, salesmen and the town board. Everyone has different viewpoints and ways of thinking, and my 10 years of sales and service made me mindful of that fact."
The years at Pruitt and Porter's also taught Fred that approaching those more experienced or knowledgeable for advice is part of the learning curve.
"You don't have to know everything, but you must know the right people to call on and be willing to try your hand at whatever is required of you. The only thing that's rocket science is rocket science itself."
Fred and his team now at the highway department are responsible for 187.75 total lane miles of roads — all municipal-owned and all paved as of 2023 — and seven bridges. There are seven plowing routes, and a full loop of all routes takes approximately 3.5 hours.
Additional responsibilities include water and sewer — four sewer pump stations are maintained — and marking the lot for digging cemeteries (mowing and lot opening/closing is done by a third party.)
There are six full-time staff members: Deputy Superintendent Dan Shay, Shop Foreman Shane Marshall, and team members Earl Fenton, Kris Swagler, Shawn Engle and Ethan Klossner.
Four part-time staff that help as needed with roadside mowing and truck driving are Lew Cary, Leon Stevens, Bill Shay and Former Deputy Superintendent Keith Shipman.
The team works 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. all weekdays December through March and 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, rest of the year serving Barton Township's 8,858 residents along with 4,444 residing in the village of Waverly in Tioga County (2010 Census). The annual operating budget is $2,806,418 and annual CHIPS allocation is $533,418.
Fred is proud of his team. "I'd put them up against any crew out there. I don't micro-manage. I set the goal, and they knock it out of the park. I am lucky to have them, as is the town."
That collaborative spirit extends to nearby townships as well, lending a few trucks or other equipment when needed and helping each other in kind.
Fleet Deets
The highway department's main building, built in 1956, is heated with two waste oil heaters and has a concrete floor. The 100-ft. by 50-ft. building includes a 12-ft. by 10-ft. office space and a 6-ft. by 10-ft. bathroom.
Other facilities added on through the late 1990s and early 2000s include a 22-ft. by 20-ft. parts room and a 14-ft. by 20-ft. breakroom on the side of the building.
There also are two cold storage buildings (no heat and dirt floors) — one is 100 ft. by 40 ft. and the other 80 ft. by 45 ft. The salt storage is laid up 2-ft. by 2-ft. by 8-ft. blocks with a roof. Undercover capacity for salt storage is 400 tons.
Fred would like to see the fleet updated in the coming year.
"We currently have on order replacement for the 2006 GMC and 2012 International. The 2010 International will need replacing next, and then we'll be looking at the 2015 International. That will finish updating the plow trucks and then we'll look at the Volvo loader and Case backhoe. The plow trucks are something you can't jump out and rent in a pinch. Heavy equipment you can. The plow trucks, backhoe and loader are core pieces to operations."
Other equipment like a skid steer or mini-excavator can be rented, as needed. The municipality engineering firm is Delta.
Work in Progress
Fred is working on a standard operating procedures manual for future highway superintendents, based on his experience creating similar documents during his time at both Pruitt and Porter's.
"I started writing SOPs when I became the trainer for all new site managers at Pruitt. A how-to manual with pointers and reminders helps when you're training someone and gives them something to fall back on when needed. My plans are to get the town on a better road maintenance rotation. We have made a lot of headway toward that goal despite a 40 percent increase in costs."
He feels fortunate to have a board with Don Foster (town supervisor), Kevin Everly (deputy town supervisor), Dave Shipman, Mike Rice and Jeff Coleman to work with. Other key staff members include Melanie Sinsabaugh with town bookkeeping, Arrah Richards McCarty as town clerk in 2020, Rebeka Peck as deputy clerk, Catherine Kozemko as assessor, Jennifer Monahan as assessor clerk, Chris Robinson in code enforcement, Wayne Searles handling dog control and Mike Myers and Nancy Perry as town justice and court clerk, respectively.
"No one is irreplaceable, but with everything running well with the good people we have I hope it is a long time before we break up the band. With age and the few hard right turns, I've had in life, I realize nothing is forever. All the fame, accolades and prestige are immaterial and easily forgotten. What matters is we had a positive impact, and leave our friends, family and co-workers with fond memories and maybe a little better off when we move on from a job or this world."
Personally Speaking
"I take pride in my work and love doing it. But that pales in comparison to the pride and love I have for my wife, kids, son and daughters-in-law and grandchildren. First and foremost, I'm a husband, father and grandfather. Family first. That's how I run my department."
Fred and his wife, Kelly, have been married for 35 years. They have four children — Sarah, 34, is a special education teacher; Matthew, 32, is a police detective; Jacob, 29, is a doctor of physical therapy and director for his clinic; and Noah, 26, is a speech and language pathologist. All four are married. Sarah (Josh), Matthew (Katrina), and Jacob (Annette) have two children each and Noah (Lauren) is expecting his first child in November.
"Fred is a highly adaptable, intelligent person," Kelly said. "He can quite literally learn and excel at whatever job he is currently in. He is a ‘work smarter' kind of guy as well, having invented tools, techniques and procedures to make his (and those of his coworkers or employees) easier. He truly enjoys being the highway superintendent and working with his crew and our town board. He has a very strict work ethic. He will do the same tasks that he asks his crew to do. He is not above doing the hard, dirty work.
"This job has made him realize that he is good at being a public servant and enjoys making improvements to his hometown and helping his friends, neighbors and family that live in Barton. I hope he will continue to serve as superintendent for as long as he and the people in our town are happy with the arrangement. I am proud of all he has accomplished in his first term and look forward to all he will do in the future."
Leisurely Pursuits
Fred and Kelly are self-proclaimed homebodies. A regular weekend includes going to church and dinner afterward at a local spot such as Yanuzzi's or Beeman's. Perusing Lowe's for their next project, going to the movies or reading are among other favorite pastimes. They like visiting the Renaissance Festival in Sterling, Fairhaven and the Strawberry Festival closer home.
"We always hit Barnes and Noble and pick up another book, put it on our shelf and hopefully, eventually we get to it," Fred said.
He is currently reading Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, and lists hiking through the woods, playing paintball, or even better, a good session of Dungeons & Dragons, among other hobbies.
"I've got a huge Tolkien collection. I lean toward fantasy, sci-fi and medieval genres because I've always had a pull toward that era. I thought I was born in the wrong era."
He credits his literary streak to his mother, who was an avid reader.
"We always had Reader's Digest and it gave you different viewpoints and windows on the world."
Fred is a member of the Tioga County Highway Superintendent Association Council and The Knights of Columbus, and a charter member of the nonprofit Tioga Actors Guild.
"Most of our performances were packaged as a dinner theater event and a few were just a stage play. All proceeds went to a local charity. The group had to disband when we lost our venue. We were pretty much an all-male ensemble, but I still think my portrayal of Cinderella was right up there with Lily James." P