Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland —
CUMBERLAND — Paul Kahl took over the top spot in Allegany County’s Department of Public Works.
Kahl of Frostburg was named on Thursday by all three county commissioners as the permanent successor to Steve Young, who retired in May after 35 years of service.
Kahl has served since December 2005 as deputy director and the department’s No. 2. He began working for Allegany County government in 1989 as an engineer and served as roads division chief from 1995 to 2000, when he was promoted to chief projects engineer.
Under Kahl, the Department of Public Works staff of approximately 170 people will continue to inspect more than 110 bridges, operate and maintain 197 miles of water lines, 185 miles of sewer lines and five wastewater treatment plants. The county roads division also maintains 550 miles of roads and oversees a transit system that serves 35,000 passengers annually.
Kahl took a moment during the commissioners’ public meeting not just to thank the commissioners for the appointment but to recognize two engineers, Adam Patterson and Dan DeWitt, for receiving certification for compliance with the federal National Bridge Inspection Standards requirements.
With the recent turnover in personnel — most recently Young, and former county engineer Kevin Beachy in September 2009 — Kahl said he “expected glitches” in the bridge inspection compliance program. Reason for that concern did not materialize, however. Patterson and DeWitt traveled to Virginia for two weeks of training late last year, Kahl said.
Also, the commissioners:
• Approved a School Bus Safety Enforcement grant for $8,766 from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. The grant will be utilized by the Bureau of Police and off-duty officers will work to ensure safe transportation of students to county schools.
• Approved a grant of $30,647 from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention for an intake specialist/caseworker position.
• Authorized Commission President Jim Stakem to sign a franchise agreement with Atlantic Broadband and Comcast. Both vendors must approve the agreements.
Kevin Spradlin can be reached at kspradlin@times-news.com.
