County merges two departments; Prunty will lead

Leadership of two Flathead County departments will look very different on Monday when the Road and Bridge and Solid Waste departments consolidate into one Public Works Department.

Starting on Monday, Dave Prunty, Solid Waste director for the past five years, will begin work as the Public Works director for the county.

The new position will oversee both the Solid Waste and Road and Bridge departments, which together have 79 employees and a $13 million budget.

As Public Works director, Prunty will be responsible for strategic planning, budgeting, public relations and intergovernmental affairs.

Two new operations managers at both road and solid waste divisions will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of their respective departments.

Prunty said he expects and hopes that Guy Foy, the interim road superintendent, will apply for one of the manager positions.

Already well-acquainted with the workings of the Solid Waste Department, Prunty said he is looking forward to first familiarizing himself with the Road and Bridge and its staff.

"The first thing for me is to get to know the folks in the road department," Prunty said of the additional 56 county employees he will oversee.

Road and Bridge came under fire this past year when the county was fined $29,000 by the state for poor air quality caused by dust from gravel roads.

County residents continue to voice concerns that the department is doing a poor job maintaining roads and mitigating dust problems.

Prunty said the consolidation of the two departments will allow for more extensive long-range planning, though he knows it will be a long time before a solution is reached.

"There's not going to be a magic bullet for this dust issue," he said. "We are going to have to continue to take a closer look at it."

One of the things Prunty is most excited about is the transportation study for Flathead County that will be completed in about a year.

"The study will help us build a basis for planning the next five, 10 or even 20 years," he said.

Of the challenges he is likely to face in leading the Road Department, Prunty said he is ready.

"It's going to be fun," he said. "But I know it won't be easy."

Reporter Amy May can be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at amay@dailyinterlake.com