DPW improves Administrative Services Division in past year

The Administrative Services Division of the Department of Public Works has seen several improvements over the past year.

According to Department of Public Works Secretary James Ada, the Administrative Services Division is crucial to maintaining and updating the department’s policies and regulations, personnel management, procurement, public relations, program development, budget preparation, and analysis. Ada noted that the division is also responsible for the oversight of the six divisions within DPW.

The Administrative Services Division, he says, prepared and routed different types of personnel actions and office documents for civil service and contract employees, while continuing to implement the drug and alcohol policy and the monitoring of expenditures.

Ada shared that DPW hired a highway engineer under the approved Federal Highway Compensation Plan under the Technical Services Division, Highway Branch which is 100 percent federally funded.

In addition to the highway engineer, building inspector trainees were hired to properly staff the Building Safety Code division as mandated by Public Law No. 6-45.

The division was also able to continue to have Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) pay for portions of office space occupied by DPW.

With this, Ada expressed that continuing to provide additional training and/or workshops to employees, which includes sessions and hands-on applications to gradually upgrade the knowledge and skills of employees, remains a priority.

“We’ve made progress toward prerequisites for competence in flood plain administration,” he said.

These courses, he says, included flood provision using international codes, coastal construction workshop for home builders, steel design, construction options, prescriptive means of egress components, and building department financial management.

Ada shared that much progress has been made towards prerequisites for the certification of building inspector supervisors.

He noted that the division maximized federal funding under the approved FY 16 Compensation Plan under Federal Highway Administration to fill vacant positions.

This allowed DPW to hire trades helpers and account clerks to properly staff the Solid Waste Management Division. In perpetuating the trades, DPW also participated in WIA’s fully federally funded Displaced Worker Program to assist in the Soudelor Recovery efforts.

The division also replaced old dilapidated service vehicles and successfully procured vehicles for Tinian and Rota Solid Waste as well as the Building Safety Code Division, the Secretary’s Office, Roads & Grounds Division and the Division of Solid Waste Management.

He says that DPW’s Administrative Services Division has slowly progressed in maintaining public infrastructure and competence but much more needs to be addressed within the many divisions.