Volusia County issued the following announcement on Dec. 14.
Volusia County Public Works Director Ben Bartlett has a huge job overseeing more than 400 employees and an expansive array of services that includes road and bridge, traffic engineering, engineering and construction, stormwater management, mosquito control, water resources and utilities, solid waste and recycling and coastal activities.
And now, Bartlett has a deputy director to help manage the department. On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council confirmed longtime public works employee Arden Fontaine as the new public works deputy director.
Fontaine has been with the county for 20 years, starting in April 2001 as a geographic information system (GIS) specialist in public works. He rose through the ranks of public works since then, serving in positions of increasing responsibility – including special projects coordinator, activity project manager and operations manager. Before being hired by the county, Fontaine was the land records manager in Lake County’s GIS department.
During Tuesday’s confirmation, County Manager George Recktenwald called Fontaine one of the hardest working employees around.
“You’re not going to find anyone who outworks Arden Fontaine,” Recktenwald told council members moments before they unanimously approved Fontaine’s promotion.
While Fontaine has spent a career embracing – and implementing – new technology, he said it’s really the people who make things work. It was his way of praising his co-workers.
“In the end, technology only takes you so far,” Fontaine told the council. “It’s the people. Public Works has the most outstanding, hard-working and dedicated staff that I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with, and I’m proud to be one of them.”
Fontaine has a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in geography from the University of Memphis.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up