MADAWASKA, Maine – The town of Madawaska has hired a new public works director and a deputy director after months of turbulence within the department.
Eldon Daigle of St. Agatha is the new public works director and Jason Cyr is the department’s deputy director, the town announced Monday.
The public works director role includes a $65,000 annual salary. The deputy director role, an hourly position, is $62,872 annually.
The town has been without a public works director since early April, when director Mark Berube resigned. Berube, who was formally appointed on Feb. 5, only served for a couple of months before quitting.
Berube’s resignation letter cited personal reasons for his departure.
Before his official appointment, Berube served as interim director after the departure of Kevin Dube, the previous director. Dube resigned in late 2023 with two other employees.
In response to this resignation, the town selectboard listened to employee concerns about wages, benefits, and a lack of appreciation for their work. In response to this, the board approved $5 an hour raises for all public works employees and a $3 an hour shift differential for nights and weekends.
In this year’s budget, the town also cut two full-time staff positions in the public works department.
Daigle worked at Bert Albert & Son in Frenchville before being appointed as director. He lives in St. Agatha and, according to the town’s press release, his father served as the town’s public works director during the 1980s.
The town, in a media release on their website, said Cyr, the deputy director, has a combined 18 years of prior public works experience.
“Both will work as a team to lead the Public Works Department, demonstrating a management style that encourages inclusivity and commitment to this department,” Interim Town Manager Dan Foster said in the release.
