Highway Superintendent Matt Mustico and the Town of Elmira

By Ruksana Hussain — Profile Correspondent - June 2025

For Highway Superintendent Matt Mustico of the town of Elmira in Chemung County, this year is one for the books — 2025 marks more than 25 years he has worked at the town's highway department, starting there as equipment operator in 1999 and being promoted to superintendent by the town supervisor in 2003. This year, he also is president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways.

His tenure as superintendent has been dotted with both milestones and challenges, and he has learned over the years to take everything in stride.

"A week after I was here (as superintendent), we had some bad flooding — five inches of rain in two hours, so FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) got involved," said Matt, who was born in Elmira and raised in Horseheads, calling the area home for more than 50 years. "That was probably my worst nightmare, but I got through it. There were enough superintendents around that I got advice from, so it all worked out."

That same can-do attitude and practical outlook witnessed Matt, and his team, overcome another major hurdle in 2012.

"We had a localized tornado, and I normally have seven or eight employees but for that whole week, I had 70," he said. "I called up all these municipalities I know; I had 30 trucks and five excavators come and help me that week to clean up the mess. I called up my supervisor and said we're going to feed them every day. To get all that cleaned up in a week was quite an accomplishment, and it didn't cost the town anything."

But working so closely with other members of the highways departments as well as his own team every day comes with its personal lows, too.

In 2012, Matt and his crew experienced an unexpected blow when their 21-year-old staff member Mike Shaline passed away from a heart procedure, and then again in 2022 with the death of another member of their close-knit team, Gregg Mann.

At the Office

Together, Matt and his crew of seven serve the 7,200 residents of the municipality. On staff are Deputy Highway Superintendent Matt Davis and equipment operators Steve Draht, Rob Congdon, Jim Watts, Corey Ripley, Chad McDonald and Jim Wagner. There are no part-time or seasonal/contract crew involved. Work shifts are 7 a.m.-3.30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Matt works with a total budget of $1.2 million, and the CHIPS allotment is $239,000. The municipality engineering firm is Hunt, and the highway department is currently in the planning stages with them on a much-needed drainage project.

The highway department facilities include two garages and two salt barns. The original garage was built in the 1950s and then the salt barn was added in 2003. Undercover capacity for salt storage is 3,500 tons. In 2003, a new facility with a salt barn was built on the other side of town.

Equipment and trucks in the fleet, none leased, include:

• 2016 930M Cat loader

• 2013 International 10-wheeler

• 2011 International 10-wheeler

• 2006 GMC six wheel

• 2021 Mack six wheel

• John Deere 570 grader

• Dodge 5500 with plow

• 580 Case backhoe

• 2022 Volvo 50 mini-excavator

• 2023 F150

• 2021 Volvo 70 loader

Matt would like to update the equipment range with plow trucks, a street sweeper and a roadside mower. The highway department also shares the cost of a bucket truck with the village of Horseheads. All preventive maintenance for equipment is done in the winter months.

Portable communications used by crew are two-way radios and cellphones. Computers are used for e-mails and the highway department communicates with the residents of the municipality via the town website where updates and announcements are posted.

The town of Elmira highway department is responsible for one bridge and 90 lane miles of town roads, of which two are gravel. There are five plowing routes, and a normal full loop of all routes takes 3.5 hours. The department does not have any additional responsibilities such as water, sewer, parks, etc., or toward a wastewater treatment plant.

On the Field

All through his tenure as superintendent, Matt has observed the impacts of technology and a dwindling labor force.

"What's changed is a lot of newer technology in the equipment," he said. "The workforce has changed, too. It's harder to get people. When I first got in here, you had to know somebody to get a job at a municipality. And now you've got to beg somebody to come here to work. But I'm lucky enough that most of my guys are seasoned employees and have been here longer than I have."

Matt's previous work experiences in construction as equipment operator and truck driver and buyer at Sysco Foods proved helpful to his role during his early days as superintendent. Learning to work well within a budget and stretch finances far were skills acquired on the job. Since then, he has powered through several projects for the town and now has a drainage project on Fassett Road in the works he plans to see completed soon.

"It's a drainage project that's been in the works for 25 years," he said. "The town of Elmira is at a higher elevation than the city. In this section of town, all our water drains into a small drainage system that was really under sized at the time, but it was before they built all the houses. Now they finally have money to expand it.

"We're going to start our section this spring," he added. "It's two sections because many of the projects in this city, they're having a contractor do it, but we're doing our own to save the town money. Ours is a smaller section of it, but we must tie into theirs once theirs is complete. It's not that big, so maybe a month to complete, weather permitting."

In the Lead

Matt also dons the hat of president this year with the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways.

The organization provides instruction in highway construction and maintenance to ensure better and safer highways and efficient public service. It is the largest transportation association in New York State and has more than 1,100 members.

Including the president and four vice presidents, there are 18 members steering the executive committee, and meetings are held quarterly, with a conference in the fall when the new president assumes office. Matt's first meeting as president was this past October.

As part of his role as president, he was recently at the New York State Legislature Budget Hearing advocating for an additional $250 million for the CHIPS program in the 2025-2026 state budget to address the urgent needs of local town-road repairs as 87 percent of New York's highways are maintained by local highway departments.

Matt also will focus on ensuring all members are informed about news across the state and keep the association running smoothly by addressing any questions or concerns in a timely manner.

When at Home

Understandably, there are few times one would find Matt anywhere but at the highway department or out and about town addressing road repairs, plowing and other infrastructure needs.

Time permitting, he volunteers at Horseheads American Legion or indulges in some recreational trap and skeet shooting, a hobby he has pursued for a few years now.

Matt also enjoys visiting his two granddaughters, Madison and Morgan, at Horseheads' varsity cheerleading competitions.

Matt and his wife, Charlene, have been married 45 years and have two adult sons — Mike, who is married to Stephanie, and Matthew, who is married to Ashley. His oldest works for the town of Big Flats as an equipment operator and lives just four houses away, while his youngest recently retired after 20 years of service in the Navy and lives in Arizona.

About the Town of Elmira

Located in Chemung County, the town of Elmira, surrounded by the city of Elmira on three sides, is considered the entrance to the famed southern Finger Lakes region of New York known for its wineries.

It is located parallel to the Chemung River, offering opportunities for water activities such as fishing, swimming and boating.

The area is known for Pirozzolo Park, a recreational space for the community to gather, as well as the Corning Glass Museum, which is just a short drive away and boasting thousands of objects made from glass as part of its comprehensive collection.

Other local attractions around the area include Mark Twain's Summer House, where the author is said to have penned some of his books; Woodlawn Cemetery, where Twain is buried; and the Chemung County Historical Society, which shares the county's history through a collection of publications, educational programming and interpretive exhibits.

The Arnot Art Museum boasts a grand selection of European and American art in its permanent collection and features temporary exhibitions of global collections as well, all housed in a Greek Revival home that was once the residence of the Arnot family here.

The National Soaring Museum is an aviation museum where the focus is on preserving the history of motorless flight. It is known for its extensive glider collections and offers sailplane rides on-site.  P

(All images courtesy of the town of Elmira Highway Department.)