Jones County’s Water Superintendent is literally at home in the position, having been born and raised here, even graduating from Jones County High School.
Brandon Stark took the reins of the water department Feb. 22 and started tackling the challenges in the department one by one. He said he began with the paperwork side, making sure the county was in compliance with its permit limits and testing requirements.
“It’s most important that we stay in compliance and our drinking water is clean and safe,” he said.
Stark said next came the outside system dealing with service lines. He said Jones County’s Water Department is made up of very different components, with River North, Highway 49 wells and water treatment plants and the Haddock Water System.
He takes his responsibility seriously.
“People need water; ongoing leaks are unacceptable,” Stark said.
One of the challenges still facing the department is staffing needs. He said half of its outside crew left to pursue other opportunities.
The water department is not alone in staffing shortages. Jones County Commissioners recently gave employees a four percent raise across the board. The superintendent said the starting pay for water employees is $15 an hour, and he has been able to hire one employee.
Currently the department has a total of eight employees, and it is advertising for three more.
Stark started his caree in water operations in 2014, when he went to work for ESG Water and Wastewater Utility Contractors. He started in the plant and kept moving up. He said he obtained all the licenses that were available to him, working his way up to operations supervisor.
He said the only issue with that job was it was in Warner Robins, which was an hour’s drive each way on a good day.
Stark said he started looking for options and began putting in applications. He actually took a job at Piedmont Water in Eatonton and worked there two and a half months when Jones County called.
His commitment to the quality of water in Jones County is personal. He lives here with Brittan and his daughters Ashlynn, 11, and Laiken, 1. At 30 years of age, the superintendent is accustomed to being the youngest member of the crew, even when he is the boss.
Stark said he is optimistic about the future of Jones County’s water system, especially with the numerous projects and improvements that are on the horizon. The water system currently has 3,400 customers and the completion of each project will add more.
“I feel like things are turning around, especially customer service. We are looking at new payment systems that will make it easier to pay bills,” added. “We are here to serve our customers. We are all in this together.”
