Board of Public Works

The Board of Public Works shall have cognizance, direction, and control of:

The construction, location, repair, care and lighting of streets, ways and sidewalks;
The construction, alteration, repair, and care of public buildings;
The construction, alteration, repair, and care of main drains or common sewers;
The construction, alteration, repair, care and maintenance of public bridges;
The care, superintendence, and management of the public grounds, except public parks, belonging to said city, and of the shade and ornamental trees growing therein.

The said board may require that no person or corporation authorized by the city council to dig up any public street or sidewalk in said city shall begin such digging before furnishing to such board of public works security satisfactory to them to restore such streets or sidewalks to their former condition. The said board of public works, except as herein otherwise provided, shall have exclusively the powers and be subject to the liabilities and penalties imposed by law upon road commissioners of towns. The general superintendent of public works under the direction of the said board of public works shall supervise all work of the public works department and shall have sole charge of carrying out the orders and policies of said board. He shall perform such other duties, not inconsistent herewith, as the city council may prescribe.

Members: Board of Public Works // Sewer Commission // Stormwater Authority

Mary L. Monahan, Chair

Mary Monahan is a public works specialist experienced in assisting cities
and towns develop and fund local infrastructure projects. For almost 25
years Mary has worked as a municipal liaison and business development
professional in the A/E industry. Her skills include project development,
grant writing, strategic funding, and public outreach. Mary is a proven
communications bridge between the public and private sector
stakeholders that leads to the development of better projects and funding
strategies.

Mary is the former chairperson of the American Public Works International
Affairs Committee and recipient of APWA’s International Service Award.
She has also served on APWA’s Minneapolis PWX event planning
committee and APWA’s Diversity Committee.

Mary was born and raised in Holyoke. She is a former elected Municipal
Treasurer/Town Clerk in South Hadley and appointed Town Administrator
and interim DPW Director in Hatfield. Mary is currently the Chairperson
for the City of Holyoke Board of Public Works.

Libby Hernandez, Vice-chair

Libby Hernandez was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised by her grandmother. By the
age of 7 she relocated to Puerto Rico, where she enrolled in college. In 1994 she settled in
Holyoke. She was elected in 2020 to represent the constituents from Ward 4 as City Councilor.
In addition to the Board of Public Works, she has served on numerous committees including
the Holyoke Parks and Recreation, Nuestras Raices, OneHolyoke CDC, CEP project, Veterans Park Apartments, and Western Mass Bed Bug task force.

In 2008 Libby completed the Bard Clemente Humanities Course through the CARE Center. She
graduated from the DTA Economic Self-Sufficiency program with the Massachusetts Career
Development Institution. She was previously employed by Holyoke Housing Authority and
Springfield Housing Authority and takes pride in her efforts to assist people own their own
homes and find sustainable housing. She works for the Department of Industrial Accidents.

Joseph Kietner, Member

Mr. Kietner has been working in the public works sector for over 25 years in the
wastewater and stormwater fields. Positions held include Stormwater
Coordinator for the City of Westfield and the City of Chicopee as well as an
Operator and Lab Technician at the City of Chicopee Water Pollution Control
Facility. Mr. Kietner is presently the Assistant Engineer for the City of Westfield’s
Engineering Department.

Mr. Kietner serves on the New England Water Environment Association ‘s
Collection Systems and Stormwater Committees. He is a Certified Stormwater
Manager (CSM) through the American Public Works Association (APWA) and is a
Grade VII wastewater operator in the state of Massachusetts.

Mr. Kietner holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Westfield
State University in and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering
from the University of Florida with a focus on wastewater, stormwater and
drinking water systems.

Sewer Commission

The Sewer Commission is responsible for overseeing the operation and maintenance of the Public Sewer System, the administration of the Policy of the Board of Sewer Commissioners and shall make all rules and regulations required to satisfactorily implement and enforce said policy. The rules and regulation shall include, but not be limited to the following:

Standards for Public Sewers and Drains
Standards for Private Sewers and Drains
Standards for Building Sewers
Licenses, permits, application forms, and fees
Discharges allowed to Public Sewer
Operation and maintenance of Facilities

Stormwater Authority

The Stormwater Authority is responsible for ensuring local enforcement of the Massachusetts Stormwater Management Policy issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, as amended, that coordinates the requirements prescribed by state regulations promulgated under the authority of the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act G.L. c. 131, §40 and Massachusetts Clean Waters Act G.L. c. 21, §§23-56. The Policy addresses stormwater impacts through the implementation of performance standards to reduce or prevent pollutants from reaching water bodies and to control the quantity of runoff from a site.

Policy / Regulations / Ordinance

Sewer Commissioners Policy (Link)
Stormwater Regulations Adopted May 17, 2010 (Link)
Stormwater Regulations Revised July 27, 2021 — Effective September 1, 2021 (Link)
Stormwater Ordinance (Link)

Meetings

The Board of Public Works / Sewer Commission / Stormwater Authority Meeting Schedules are listed on the City Public Meetings and Hearings Calendar. Meetings are typically held on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, currently via Zoom.

Minutes of previous meetings of the Board of Public Works, Sewer Commission and Stormwater Authority are available by calling the Department of Public Works at 322-5645.