Township Engineer Reflects on 15 Years in Montville

Engineer Anthony Barile has been a part of many major projects in the township.

Though at times the projects were controversial, he is proud to say he was involved in the renovations to several municipal buildings, including the , and . In particular, he said that the park has become a popular location for residents of Montville and beyond.

"The playground at the municipal park was a challenge," he said, noting the physical impediments at the park before the project took place. "But it's a playground that's become rather well-known in the area, even outside of Montville."

Barile will be retiring from his position on June 29 after working for 15 years in the township. Prior to that, he worked as a private engineering consultant, an assistant township engineer, and later a township engineer, in Mount Olive and Pequannock and also worked as an assistant county engineer in Sussex County. The Stillwater resident graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

There are many road improvement projects Barile has been part of that he is proud of, including the upcoming completion to work on Dogwood Circle, a project more than five years in the making. But perhaps most of all, he is proud that he helped the township receive state grants toward road improvements nearly each of the 15 years he has been working in Montville.

Barile partially credited the township's ability to receive so many grants to the personal service provided by the in-house engineering department.

"I think we've been rather unique," he said.

Many other municipalities contract engineering services to private firms, but Barile said Montville's arrangement is good for both the township employees and residents.

"We're here to give quick response to the residents, as well as other departments in the township," he said.

Being able to respond to residents quickly is critical in times of need, as was the case during the major flood event following Hurricane Irene last August. Barile said no roads collapsed in Montville, but that the department had received drainage complaints that were at times challenging.

"We experienced drainage problems that you really can't do much about because of the nature of the storm," Barile said.

But the department staff members worked to the best of their abilities to ease residents' concerns and correct the issues they could. Whether it be answering questions on a daily basis or during major events, Barile said his department's staff members, of which there are four in addition to him, have done an excellent job and have helped him greatly along the way. Barile said many residents do not know that the Engineering Department also deals with the garbage collection contract.

"The staff here in the Engineering Department has been really outstanding over the years," he said.

In his retirement, Barile still plans to work part-time as a consultant at his son, Nicholas', Denville engineering firm, Com-Ex Consultants. He also plans to spend more time with his daughter, Danielle, who lives in Virgina, and grandchildren, Chloe, 2, and Lucas, six weeks. Barile said he could not have made it through the past 15 or more years without the support of his wife, Beth, who was tolerant of Barile's sometimes unpredictable work hours.