Framingham DPW Direct Lukis Stepping Down In October

FRAMNINGHAM, MA — A longtime Framingham public works official and recent department head will leave his job at the end of the month for a new position.

Blake Lukis was elevated to public works director in July 2020 after serving as the deputy director. He took over after former director Peter Sellers' retirement. Lukis began his career in Framingham in 2014 when he was hired to lead the water and wastewater departments.

Lukis submitted his resignation Wednesday, but will be on the job until Oct. 29. After that, he'll become the executive director of the Dedham-Westwood Water District.

"Blake Lukis has done an outstanding job as the director [of] DPW, and he has served the City well," Mayor Yvonne Spicer said in a news release Wednesday.

Lukis' time as DPW head has coincided with an ongoing revenue crisis in the water and sewer departments, and also took criticism last fall over a reduced yard waste and brush collection schedule. Lukis also won the Paul F. Howard Award from the the Massachusetts Water Works Association (MWWA) in 2020. Framingham also received the 2017 Utility of the Year Award from the New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) under Lukis' watch.

Framingham will begin the search for a new director in the coming weeks, according to Spicer's news release.

During her first term, Spicer has hired a new department head in almost every city office, including the police, library, fire and health departments. The last department head to resign was HR director Dolores Hamilton, who moved to become a deputy town administrator in Stow after her salary was cut during this year's budget deliberations.