JONES COUNTY
Jones County’s Public Works Director has been on the job for six months and is relishing progress being made as well as the positivity with which he was received.
Shawn Wood came to Jones County with 25 years of experience in the public works field and credentials that include being a UGA Certified Public Works Manager with extensive training in engineering, leadership and management.
In a Jan. 5 interview, Wood said he is originally from Eastman. He served as Director of Public Works for the City of Dublin from 2014-21 and worked in the private sector in North Georgia for a short stint before accepting the position in Jones County.
Wood said the move to Jones County was primarily because he enjoys serving the public.
“The private sector is not the same. I like interacting with the commissioners and people in the community,” he said.
The director said he also did not enjoy the hustle and bustle of North Georgia.
Wood said when he arrived here, the Public Works Department was in the midst of reorganization, and everyone had helped with that.
“Public Works has a lot of moving parts, including organization and paperwork,” he said.
The director said they are now in the process of hiring an administrative assistant.
He said Office Manager Angie Hennessy has too much to do and needs help.
“That was one of the first things I noticed. She does everything and is overloaded,” he said.
Wood said they are building a leadership team within the department. He added department wide they are still one or two positions down, but they were nine down when he started.
The director said another plus is the new equipment they have received, thanks to the Board of Commissioners. He said they have allowed him use lease programs that gives more bang for the county’s buck.
Wood added that morale is improving among employees.
“It’s important to move forward, and they have bought into that,” he said. “People resources are the most important part. Brand new equipment is good, but without top-tier people, we are spinning our wheels.”
The director said the main goal is to seek excellence, and that happens with the creation of a culture of positivity.
Wood said one of the big projects for the department is reshaping the gravel roads in the county. He said they are grading the ditches and putting crowns back in the center of the roads for better drainage.
“I’m proud of the work being done. Our South End crew is very efficient with two motor graders working in tandem,” he pointed out.
The director said there are two divisions, North and South. He said each has a superintendent equipment operator trainer. He said the leadership team also includes the sanitation supervisor and special projects manager.
Wood said they work together on big projects to make county dollars stretch. He said tackling the roads condition report should involve alternative paving methods to help roads last longer. The director explained that, when a road is paved, its life expectancy is 15 years. He said for example, intervening on a road in year 10, while it is still in fair condition, could make it last another 15 years at a much lower cost than waiting for it to require the most expensive option of full-depth reclamation.
“That would be an important first step,” he said.
Wood said Jones County has 324 miles of paved roads and 250 miles of gravel roads. He was adamant that Jones County has the best gravel roads anywhere.
The director has another project he said is near and dear to his heart. That is to get the old jail next door to the public works office on the historic register.
“It has good bones, and with a little work, it could be repurposed for more office space for our superintendents,” he said.
Wood said now they are operating out of their vehicles.
He said another future project is a transfer station for the county’s trash collection. The station would have a large dumpster with a compactor. He said trash from all county convenience centers would be brought to one location and compacted before being hauled to the landfill.
The director said that would cut down on the expense of the numerous loads to the landfill.
During a tour of the public works office, Wood touted the renovations that have been done, including a spacious break and training room complete with a large screen monitor for presentations. He credited Chuck Humphries for taking the lead with the renovations.
The director said he feels like he has found a home in Jones County and is in the process of making it his family’s home.
“We have a great group of employees and a great staff. I feel like we are going in the right direction,” he said.
