Photo: David Blazon, Belmont’s new facilities director (LinkedIn)
David Blazon, who spent the past decade as the Director of Public Works and Recreation at the regional enterprise zone better known as Devens, was named Belmont’s director of facilities at the Select Board’s Monday, March 29 meeting.
Blazon replaces Steve Dorrance who left in November 2020 for the facility’s position in Haverhill.
“Thank you. Glad to be here,” Blazon told the Select Board.
According to Human Resources Director Shawna Healey, Blazon, who is not under a contract, is eligible for all town benefits in regards to health, dental, life insurance, and he will have a take-home vehicle. His annual salary is $125,000.
Town Administrator Patrice Garvin said she and Belmont Superintendent John Phelan received more than 30 resumes before whittling the hiring process down to Blazon.
The director is responsible for maintaining more than one million square feet of buildings and grounds under the control of the Select Board and the School Committee. In addition, the Facilities Department makes recommendations to the Capital Budget Committee for long-term improvements to the town and school buildings. Town Meeting approved the merger of the once separate town and school departments in 2011.
“I do want to express how excited I am that you’re on board,” said Board Chair Roy Epstein. “The facilities position is such a critical service in town that we look forward to working with you and to solve the many pressing facilities challenges that we have.”
A graduate of Lowell High School, Blazon matriculated at Wentworth Institute of Technology where he earned an associate’s degree in Architectural Engineering. After working as a project engineer designing state-of-the-art energy-efficient systems for a private non-profit, he spent 15 years in Lowell first as a site manager and then deputy commissioner in the Public Works Department.
In Devens, he managed with a staff of 15 the community’s infrastructure including building maintenance, custodial care, 500 acres of landscaping, and 60 miles of road and sidewalks along with snow and storm management.
It looks like the highly compensated town administrator, Patrice Garvin, is building her empire.
The former facilities director resigned citing inequality in pay when Garvin’s excessive three-year contract made public that’s higher than [former] Boston Mayor Walsh and Governor Baker. I’m curious why the new facilities director and Garvin didn’t mention that they used to work together for the town of Shirley. It is absolutely a conflict of interest for Garvin to be part of the search committee.
Is this a coincidence that after a big search that the new facilities director also worked for Shirley, Massachusetts? There was no need for a consultant to find the best candidate? Appears to be no standard hiring practice in town.