BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — One of Starke’s most critical positions has been filled following a monthslong search.
Julio “Jay” Penate of St. Augustine is Starke’s new utilities project director. Penate replaces Scott Anaheim, who left the position earlier this year.
City Manager Drew Mullins agreed it was difficult to find someone who can supervise utilities and special projects. Many municipalities provide some form of utility service like water or sewer. With electricity and gas, Starke has four. Finding someone with that breadth of experience is tough, let alone someone to work in the public rather than private sector.
When applications didn’t come rolling in, Mullins said he began calling other cities to where candidates had applied.
Penate is a jack of many trades. Just some of the skills on his resume include handyman, facilities maintenance, welding, automotive repair, construction and construction management, construction estimating, electrical experience, refrigeration, plumbing and more.
Penate comes from New York. He earned his mechanical engineering degree in Brooklyn in 1987. His career has been spent in property management. Out of trade school, he became maintenance supervisor for 300-plus residential and office units. He both hired, trained and supervised the maintenance employees who worked under him.
After five years, he moved on to become a building operations engineer, managing 11 building sites with more than 850 residential and business units in New York City. This included training and supervising the superintendents and handymen in electric, plumbing, HVAC and more. He inspected sites daily to assure all work was performed to standard.
He moved on and up to an engineering position responsible for a 220-unit luxury condominium. Among his accomplishments were modernizing the security system and implementing new security procedures. He maximized services, while making the workforce more efficient — cutting overtime hours and reducing operating expenditures by 27%.
By 1997, Penate became a director of operations for a management firm, and took over responsibility for six buildings and 80-plus employees. He not only established a preventive maintenance schedule for all facilities’ HVAC systems, he oversaw the electrical upgrade of every apartment. He worked along architects, engineers and others to replace all of the roofing. His preventative maintenance plan for all buildings helped save the corporation 20% on service calls.
For the past 20 years, he was property manager for Brown Harris Stevens Residential Management in New York City. There he exercised the same experience gained from his previous positions, directing dozens of employees, inspecting facilities, planning building budgets, engaging in capital improvement projects, and working alongside engineers and consultants as needed.
Penate has been on the job with Starke since Nov. 7. Mullins said they have been working to get him up to speed on the various projects the city is involved with. These include the new wastewater treatment plant and sewer system rehabilitation, utility extensions to the new elementary school that should begin after the first of the year, and the ongoing railroad overpass construction, which include resurfacing Call Street and other streets downtown.
A snapshot of some of the essential duties and responsibilities includes:
—Supervises employees, including conducting performance evaluations, interviewing prospective employees, and making recommendations to the city manager related to promotions, hiring and discipline.
—Assists in the preparation, review, and administration of yearly and long-range operational budget plans
—Oversees construction of water distribution and wastewater collection and treatment facilities.
—Helps with the negotiations, development and maintaining of agreements with private sector developers to establish criteria and standards for water distribution and wastewater collection and treatment.
—Supports in the development of short and long-range goals, objectives, and strategies to meet future demand of water, sewer, electric, and natural gas systems infrastructure.
—Directs activities of employees, resolving problems and maintaining motivation.
—Establishes and maintains effective and positive relationships with the community.
