Public Works
About the Department of Public Works
The Public Works Department preserves a functional and sustainable infrastructure for the Borough. The Department is led by Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor, both of which direct a team of skilled and experienced workers. Areas of service include road and curb repair, street sweeping, sign mounting and management, winter snow removal, and event crowd and traffic control. All Borough facilities, including the municipal park and stadium, are maintained by the Public Works crew. The department staff is also responsible for removing brush from Borough rights-of-way and for mowing the lawns of vacant properties at owner expense. Sanitary sewer upkeep is overseen by this office, as are street paving projects. The Public Works Department administers the Pennsylvania One Call System for the Borough. The Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor are additionally responsible for performing engineering field inspections, overseeing capital construction contractors, and assisting the Borough Manager and Assistant Borough Manager with developing certain bid specifications.
Supervisor Justin Kobelak is a lifelong Borough resident. He was originally hired as a labrorer in 2008. His decades of tireless work resulted in a promotion to a supervisory position in 2022.
The department roster includes the following dedicated laborers:
- Dennis Chuderwicz - Assistant Supervisor
- Mark Consolmagno
- Pat Cunningham
- Sean Frey
- Pat Fuhrer
- Sean Britenbaugh
- Shawn Robinson
- Michael Folino
- Nicholas Czerwein
- Matthew Veatch
Excavations
The Department of Public Works reminds all property owners and contractors to follow this simple piece of advice: call 811 before you dig! Underground utility conduits and cables can pose major hazards to excavators. Puncturing an electrical or natural gas line can have a severe and immediate impact on neighborhood safety, while piercing a water or sewer line can cause costly and frustrating service disruptions. Individuals or companies who damage buried utilities can face fines and may be liable for the repair bill.
At least three (3) business days prior to beginning any construction project that requires the movement of earth with a mechanical device, the operator of said equipment must contact the Pennsylvania One Call Network. Homeowners who are undertaking do-it-yourself work can utilize this hotline at no cost, while professional excavators must register for the service for $100 annual fee. DPW staff responds to Pennsylvania One Call requests by marking the locations of buried utility lines with color-coded paint.
The majority of construction activity requires only simple excavation, and a separate permit is not necessary for the digging stage of the project. However, a grading permit and an engineering review of the scope of work are needed for all projects that involve significant movement of earth or a major altering of the contours of the ground surface. A grading permit can be acquired by completing the Application for a Uniform Construction Permit found here.
Contractors who are engaging in work that will necessitate the opening of a paved public street must complete the Application for a Street Application Permit found below. This form must be returned to the Borough at least four (4) business days prior to the commencement of the project. If street closures will be required, a traffic control plan must be provided to the Borough at least seven (7) business days in advance of construction. It is the responsibility of the contractor to restore the street to a functional condition.
Facility Maintenance
Brentwood Borough’s buildings and grounds are among our most vital infrastructural assets. The Department of Public Works strives to keep our facilities clean, up-to-date, and useful to both residents and staff. DPW laborers perform routine maintenance, such as janitorial services and grass trimming, as well as make minor-to-moderate repairs to Borough property. The department also provides upkeep of our municipal pool and sporting fields, installs our festive holiday decorations, and prepare facilities for meetings and other community functions.
Property Maintenance Program
The Department of Public Works is proud to have joined forces with the Department of Building Inspection/Code Enforcement in an aggressive community beautification initiative. Although the vast majority of structures are maintained with great pride and care, some properties develop frustrating and recurring problems. For example, a bank may absolve itself from responsibility over a foreclosed building or a family may neglect its responsibility to provide upkeep to the home of a deceased loved one.
The DPW works to prevent vacant properties from becoming blemishes on the community by actively performing basic grounds maintenance at the request of the Department of Building Inspection/Code Enforcement. Our laborers remove unsightly garbage and debris from exterior areas and address grass and other plant growth before it becomes an unruly eyesore. Additionally, when a resident with a closed trash account places any item at the curb for collection, the DPW is charged with removal of this rubbish.
Brentwood leadership feels strongly that the municipality’s tax payers should not be punished for the inaction of a small number of out-of-town property owners. As a result, we directly bill land owners for our services and instruct our attorneys to file liens against the properties of those who refuse to provide reimbursement.
Roadway Maintenance
The vast majority of the streets in Brentwood Borough are municipally owned and maintained. The Department of Public Works is responsible for ensuring that our road system provides motorists with a safe and smooth ride. Our staff acts quickly to patch potholes, repair damaged curbs, and recoat faded traffic lines. The DPW also executes Council traffic management decisions in regard to the location of stop signs, fire lanes, parking stalls, crosswalks, VASCAR timing lines, and other transportation control devices.
Although Brentwood Borough was incorporated nearly a century ago, the Department of Public Works uses long term planning and forecasting to protect our infrastructure from showing its age. Our department supervisor works closely with the municipal engineer to periodically study the quality of each Borough street. As a result, we are able to ascertain measurable data on road surface conditions and to design paving plans that address the thoroughfares with the greatest maintenance needs. Additionally, the DPW has compiled a comprehensive sign inventory that aids staff in prioritizing the replacement of signs that are damaged, faded, or lack sufficient reflectivity.
To view the results of our most recent pavement study, see the PDF documents below.
Sanitary Sewer System
Although sanitary sewers play a critical role in the lives of each of our residents, too often the needs of this major infrastructural component are overlooked. Sewer lines allow our waste to become “out of sight and out of mind”; it is important, however, that municipalities do not view their sewer system with this type of outlook. Brentwood Borough takes a proactive approach to maintaining and upgrading our sanitary lines so as to both provide better service for our residents and to reduce our environmental footprint.
DPW laborers undertake a variety of functions in regard to our sewage infrastructure. Our employees conduct periodic manhole inspections to test for structural deficiencies, water infiltration, and the presence of corrosive chemicals. The department also works to keep storm inlets and culverts maintained in good repair and free from hazardous clogs. Additional responsibilities include clearing debris from catch basins, flushing lines of obstructive material, installing and managing manhole covers and inserts, and performing dye tests to determine the sources of leaks.
As our sewer system ages, the need for major line repairs and replacement becomes inevitable. The Supervisor of our department works closely with our Borough Manager and our engineering consultants to ensure that upgrade projects achieve a maximum return on investment.
For information on our sewer maintenance plan, consult the PDF documents below.
Snow Removal
When winter weather strikes, the Department of Public Works jumps into actions to keep our streets clear of snow and ice! Our trained crew labors tirelessly to prevent accumulation and to treat slick spots before they become problematic for motorists. The DPW has a firm understanding of modern road treatment procedures, which allows our employees to quickly return our thoroughfares to a passable state at minimal risk of damage to vehicles or abutting properties. Based upon weather factors, such as the anticipated low temperature and the severity of the snowfall, we diversify our use of salt, plowing, and anti-icing chemicals to achieve the most efficient results for our community.
Please note that DPW jurisdiction ends at the curb; property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from the sidewalks in front of their homes or places of business. The Department of Building Inspection/Code Enforcement has the authority to issue letters of violation or citations to individuals who fail to clear a safe path along their walkways. If you are unable to shovel your sidewalks due to age or disability, please call the Department of Administration at 412-884-1500, and the Borough will dispatch a neighborly volunteer to provide assistance at no charge.
Stormwater Management
As Brentwood grew from a rural outpost to a dense suburb, humans made profound changes to the natural environment. The development of streets and structures significantly altered the methods by which water is disbursed following a rain or snow event. In an undisturbed landscape, most precipitation either infiltrates the soil and collects in underground aquifers or is evaporated into the atmosphere. However, the construction of impervious surfaces, such as concrete or asphalt, substantially increases the quantity of water that instead flows over the land as runoff. Left uncontrolled, runoff can flood roadways, damage foundations, and erode hillsides, while introducing pollutants into local watersheds.
Brentwood manages a system of storm inlets and drainage pipes designed to collect and convey runoff. Under federal and state law, the Borough is required to operate this system in a manner that not only protects community infrastructure but also reduces threats to water quality. As such, the Borough must annually apply for an MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
In order to maintain its MS4 permit, Brentwood must demonstrate evidence of compliance with six distinct regulations, which are known as minimum control measures. The aggregate application of these principles has been shown to reduce the amount of oil, fertilizers, trash, and other harmful chemicals and sediments that reach rivers and streams.
1.Public education and outreach. Improving water quality is not just a governmental responsibility. Individual residents and property owners can take steps to abate runoff and contamination. For ideas on how to reduce your stormwater footprint, view the educational material available here. Annual MS4 reports are also available here for public consumption.
2.Public participation and involvement. Our annual Redd-Up Day and Community Clean-Up Day are not just about improving municipal aesthetics. Rather, these events are designed to limit the amount of improperly discarded waste that reaches vital
3.Illicit discharge detection and elimination. Borough personnel actively screen outfall areas for signs of illegal discharge.
4.Construction site runoff control. Active construction sites can contain an array of harmful pollutants. So as to prevent contaminated soil and materials from reaching the watershed, Brentwood requires any developer disturbing more than 1,000 square feet of earth to submit an erosion and sediment control plan.
5.Post-construction runoff control. The actions of property developers can have a major impact on runoff flows. Brentwood encourages the incorporation of green stormwater management devices, such as bio-swales and permeable pavements, into new construction projects.
6.Pollution prevention. While expensive capital construction is sometimes necessary to remediate stormwater, municipalities can also reduce contaminant infiltration through changes in operations. For example, by storing rock salt in an indoor storage facility, the Borough is preventing residual amounts of this corrosive material from being washed into inlets.
Street Sweeping
The Department of Public Works is committed to keeping our roadways free of dirt and debris. To improve the cleanliness of our community, the DPW conducts street sweeping on a minimum monthly basis, except during the winter season. Our modern and power equipment removes unsightly litter and plant waste while concurrently helping the Borough to comply with stormwater quality mandates. Additionally, the department performs an intensive cleaning of municipal catch basins during the spring season.
Street sweeping will take place during the second and fourth weeks of each month from April through September. The current schedule can be found in PDF format below. Please assist our employees by adhering to the following guidelines:
- Remove parked vehicles, garbage bins, and sporting equipment from the street prior to sweeping day.
- Do not rake leaves into the street or gutter. The sweeper’s vacuum is not designed to collect concentrated piles of waste.
- Keep trees trimmed to a minimum 14’ 6’’ clearance so as to accommodate the height of the sweeper.
- Do not throw any garbage into the storm drain. It is illegal to pour cooking grease, chlorinated pool water, or chemicals of any kind into the sanitary sewer system.