Highway Superintendent Rick Granger and the Town of Coventry

Ruksana Hussain - CEG Correspondent - January 2025

When the town of Coventry in Chenango County was devastated by flooding in 2006, Rick Granger was one of many volunteers that helped the overwhelmed highway department restore the roads of his town. Little did he know then he'd one day be serving as the town's highway superintendent.

Having experience in the trucking industry since the age of 13, starting as a floor sweeper for a local lime spreading outfit (working after school), to driver, then moving up to owner operator to regional trainer for a large dry bulk tanker company as a driver trainer for 13 terminals on the east coast, Rick's ease in operating and repairing all types of trucks and trailers came in handy. His last "over-the-road" trucking job as owner operator was in the flatbed/oversize division hauling, mostly in the northeast.

Rick volunteered for a little more than a month driving trucks and operating equipment to help the town, but when he returned to work, the highway superintendent came calling.

"He said he would not be seeking another term and felt I would be a good fit for the town highway department," he said. "I enquired at the board of elections and filed the paperwork to be on the ballot. I have not regretted one day of that decision. I still enjoy every day at work."

Born in Jacksonville, N.C., at Camp Lejeune while his father served in the Marines in Vietnam, Rick's family moved to Coventry when he was two years old. He has called Coventry home ever since — 56 years and counting.

His first term as the town of Coventry's highway superintendent was 2010 to 2012, but Rick took over office in 2009 because the then highway superintendent ended his term early. Rick was already campaigning for the position and when he won in November, his first official day of office was on Jan. 1, 2010. He has been the town's highway superintendent for 15 years now, currently serving his latest two-year term of 2023-2025.

Among his mentors, he is quick to remember retired highway superintendent of the town of Oxford, Tim Tefft, who helped him through his first five or six years in the office.

"He helped me with how to figure out the CHIPS program, how to tackle roads," Rick said. "I was an over-the-road truck driver, I spent a lot of time on the road, but not building them. He was very influential in helping me not only physically but mentally."

His prior work experience liaising with shippers, receivers and dispatchers also contributed to his ability to communicate with the public in his current role.

Department Details

Coventry's highway department's full-time crew includes Deputy Highway Superintendent and MEO Trevor Grant, MEO Jason Hawkins and MEO Doug Young. They have one open position for a full-time MEO but no other part-time crew. The hours of service are from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the winter and from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the summer.

Together, they serve the 1,650 residents of the municipality, with a total annual operating budget of $775,000, and that includes an annual CHIPS allocation of $286,000.

They are responsible for 100 lane mi. and 50 center lane mi. of roads/streets. All 50 mi. of maintained roads are the responsibility of the town highway department. There are 10 mi. of gravel roads and 40 mi. of paved roads. They have four plowing truck routes and one pickup truck route. It takes four hours to complete a full route and two loads of sand per truck.

The department is not responsible for any bridges because Chenango County has ownership of all bridges that cross town roads, but other responsibilities include tree removal in cemeteries and plowing the fire station.

The office premises include a repair shop and office/breakroom, which was built in the 1950s with concrete blocks and a steel roof. It is 40 ft. wide by 100 ft. long — one end has concrete floors and the other has dirt floors used for cold storage only. The truck barn is a 50-ft. by 80-ft. insulated pole barn, built in the early 1980s and used for parking loaded trucks during the winter months. The department does not have a need for bulk salt storage because it does not use any salt during plowing operations.

Truck-installed VHF radios and Wal-mart handheld walkie talkies are used for onsite communications between the crew. Rick has one computer in the office that is used to send payroll hours and answer e-mails.

Interaction with municipality residents occurs via a local newspaper and the town website where the highway department posts major work projects and anything else that the public should be aware of, such as road conditions and future work announcements and updates.

Machinery List

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

• 2014 Mack plow 10-wheeler

• 2010 Mack plow six-wheeler

• 2006 International plow 10-wheeler

• 2005 International plow six-wheeler

• 2004 International plow 10-wheeler

• 2005 Gradall 3100XL

• 1998 John Deere 770BH grader

• 2018 John Deere 544K loader

• 2000 Champion paver

• 2023 Dodge pickup truck

• 2005 John Deere 5510 tractor/ mower

• Enclosed trailer

• Dump trailer

• Equipment trailer

• Pull trailer sweepers

"We strive to continue to update equipment with newer models as needed," Rick said. "We currently do not budget for purchasing new equipment. All trucks get oil changes every 250 hours. We do not put a lot of miles on trucks, but they do run continuously from the time we leave the barn until we finish plowing and put them away."

The department participates in shared services with neighboring towns and sends as well as receives help when requested.

Project Report

Current projects under way include a large culvert for Ives Road stream crossing that was washed out during tropical storm Debby in August in 2024 and then a larger culvert for Cahoon Road stream crossing.

On the topic of culverts, Rick shared about the town partnering with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation nonprofit Trout Unlimited to replace five undersized culverts with flood resilient culverts in the Wylie Brook area.

"These projects upgraded our infrastructure at these crossings to benefit the traveling public as well as the natural habitat for fish migration," he said. "These upgrades would not have been possible without the support from our partners. Each culvert had become perched and unstable due to increasing plunge pools at the outlet and hindered, if not completely blocking, the migration of aquatic wildlife. These were some of the effects of the 2006 and 2011 floods that had destroyed much of the town's culvert infrastructure."

When Rick approached the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Cortland — David Lemon was the expert there — to help him deal with a damaged culvert that had just been replaced in 2006 and was damaged again in 2011, it led to meeting with USFWS staff member Gian Dodici. That was the first time Rick heard of bottomless culverts as a solution to making working streams more fish friendly. USFWS and TU provided the funding and materials while the town provided manual labor and equipment for installation. Fast forward and they are now six years in, working on their sixth culvert with that same program on the same brook.

"Everywhere in our township where Wylie Brook crosses a town road, we have replaced the culverts they purchased," Rick said. "We've had no road structure failure, a lot less flooding. As far as having to rebuild the road where one of these culverts is, that's been zero."

Witnessing projects come to fruition for the betterment of the town makes Rick's day.

"I enjoy coming to work every day — challenges with new situations and obstacles to figure out. I have a great group of guys that work well together, and we can figure out the best course of action. It's not always my way that works best. It's a collective of minds that keep the roads together in our town."

His favorite part of the job is running equipment, paving and plowing snow, but the parts not on his favorites list are office work, paperwork and public speaking, some of which he must partake in as committee chair for Chenango County Highway Superintendents Association.

He admits he doesn't have much tolerance in "dealing with people that don't know the facts. They are convinced that what they see and don't like is the only thing that matters, and the entire town must change laws and policies to please them."

Planning Details

On long-term plans, Rick said, "I would like to see our town become less susceptible to damage from weather events by building better roads that last longer, using better materials and upgrading the stream crossings and having fewer power outages from trees dying along the roadsides and falling each time the wind blows. I would like to see the town government start to prepare for equipment replacements and develop a plan for building upgrades."

Much of the infrastructure in Coventry was designed for the weather the town used to get — plenty of snow in winter that only slowly melted away in spring. But recent years have seen the climate change, with more storms and hurricanes traveling further up the coast.

"All our rainstorms now are torrential downpours, so we need the infrastructure to take that flush of water," Rick said.

Add to that the fact that Coventry is uniquely located on top of a hill and it's all downhill in every direction.

The roads in Coventry face a similar conundrum, having been built in the 1950s and '60s. The town owned its own shale pits and built roads using that material since it was freely accessible. That worked in the '70s when there weren't more than 400 cars a day on a town road.

"Now there is that, and bigger log trucks, and bigger milk trucks and supersized farm equipment. Back then, it was little tractors, now manure spreaders are pushing hundred thousand pounds, and heavy combines take up the whole road. My point is everything has evolved except for the structure of our roads, so I want to build up the base layers in our road to be able to take that kind of weight, build everything up stronger and wider, make our roads more durable and use better materials," Rick said, stating turning all town roads to oil and stone would help reduce maintenance costs and preserve longevity of this crucial part of public infrastructure.

Personally Speaking

"It's very rare that you won't find me at work," Rick said.

Even on his days off, he enjoys traveling around town inspecting infrastructure or planning another project.

His wife, Katherine Granger, and he have been married since 1988 and have one married daughter, Kailee Pixley. They love spending time at their camp in Beaver River on the Stillwater Reservoir and watching their granddaughters, Genevieve (3) and Thea (1.5).

Although, Rick shared, he hasn't had the time to spare to spend more leisurely days at the camp. Their home burned down in a fire this past September. While they were blessed to immediately find accommodation within the town, rebuilding their lives after that incident has occupied much of his time outside of work.

Between office hours serving the community, rebuilding his home and lending friends and neighbors a helping hand, Rick's days are busy.

But if he weren't in his current role as highway superintendent, he thinks he might enjoy being a farmer, having lived in a farm community. Rick also lives near several neighbors who are farmers and whom he helps whenever needed.

"You'll find me on a farm tractor somewhere, one of my neighbors will need a helping hand and I will be out there. I just love that lifestyle, it's a hard one but a good one." P