Letter from Retired Director of Manchester Water Works Tom Bowen on the appointment of Phil Croasdale as new Director of WW.
4/19/2015Mayor Ted GatsasBoard of Aldermen
Re: Manchester Water Works (MWW) Director Position
A few months ago I learned of David Paris intent to retire as
MWW Director at the end of May. Before I get to the purpose of my
memo, Id like to congratulate and thank Dave for his nearly 40
years of service to MWW and its customers. While Dave only served
as Director for a little more than 2 years, his main contribution
during his long career was in managing the Water Treatment Plant
(WTP) and the departments Water Supply Division for nearly 20
years. The most notable accomplishments from my perspective as a
former Director was managing a 3-year, 28 million dollar upgrade to
the WTP while ensuring that the quality of the water to the
customers was never put at risk. Much of the credit is directly
attributed to Daves knowledge and dedication.
With regard to the confirmation of Phil Croasdale to succeed
Dave Paris as MWW Director, I must admit that the selection
concerns me greatly. This is not because Phil hasnt done an
excellent job in his current position of MWW Assistant Director of
Finance, because he has. Prior to my retirement in 2013 I worked
very closely with Phil for more than 20 years. During his career at
MWW, Phil has become an invaluable member of the MWW management
team.
The problem that I have with the selection is that the candidate
does not meet the minimum education and experience requirements as
listed in Job Classification which is set by City Ordinances. The
job spec states that the candidate must meet the
following:Acceptable Experiences and Training: Graduatewith a
Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering,
Chemistry or a related field Extensive experience in water works
operations, including considerable engineering experiencesor Any
equivalent combination of training and experience Required Special
Qualifications: Professional Engineer License strongly preferred or
Water System Operation License Grade IV
The candidate under consideration does not meet these essential
job requirements. These are in place to guarantee that the MWW
Director has the engineering knowledge to ensure that water quality
and utility operations meet the technical requirements of the NH
Department of Environmental Services and the USEPA.
Within the foreseeable future the MWW will be embarking on
several critical projects, including drawing water from the
Merrimack River, which will require that its Director has a sound
technical background which the candidate under consideration does
not have. In my opinion there are two in-house candidates that do,
in fact, meet the qualifications for the Directors position.
In closing, I must restate that I have the utmost respect for
Phil Croasdale. However, he is not, in my opinion, as Director of
MWW for more than 20 years, qualified for the position. Thank you
for taking the time to consider my comments. If you have any
questions regarding my comments please contact me.
Tom BowenRetired DirectorManchester Water WorksCell
361-8934Email [email protected]
