Barber to Retire from Richmond DPW

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
October 27th 2023

RICHMOND – Scott Barber, the longtime Director of Richmond’s Department of Public Works, announced at the Oct. 3 Town Council meeting that he would be retiring on Feb. 1. Barber will continue to serve as Richmond Carolina Fire Chief.

It is probably safe to say that Barber knows more than anyone about Richmond, its history, and its quirks. At the DPW building on a recent morning, in a conference room that he and his employees had renovated themselves, Barber looked back on his career with the town.

A Lifetime of Service

Barber took over as DPW Director 24 years ago. Before coming to Richmond, he worked for 10 years for the State of Rhode Island at the Department of Transportation and in the forestry division, and then worked in Hopkinton, where he was a DPW Foreman for five years. But Barber had always called Richmond home, and in 1999, he became the town’s Public Works Director.

“It was the town I grew up in and the town that I was most familiar with,” he said.

Richmond’s DPW, like the town itself, was a lot smaller in those days.

 “I was a 35-year-old kid that was ready to take on the world,” Barber said. “Back then, I believe there were only five of us total, including me.”

As the town grew, the duties of the DPW became more diverse. The department now has 11 employees.

“The whole direction of the public works department has changed over the years,” Barber said. “We’re the catch-all. We do buildings and grounds, manage the transfer station, and there’s a lot more public need out there – the phone calls, the requests for service, it’s just grown immensely.”

There are more regulations, too, and residents have become increasingly demanding.

“There’s so much exposure now, the increase in traffic and hazards on the roadside,” Barber said. “When you get into winter operations, the expectation of the public is that they want the roads cleared within a very short time period, and that’s a challenge.”

One of the department’s ongoing projects has been repairing and maintaining the roads, a job that Barber said has been a constant challenge to keep up with.

“There’s a long list of roads that need to be done, and there’s only so many funds available to do it, to keep the tax rate and the town budget manageable, and some of the projects get pushed out further than we’d like to see,” he said. “I mean, there’s roads that I did over 20 years ago that are already needing to be re-done, and we have roads that have never been done, so that’s frustrating.”

The Public Works Department “Lifestyle”

“The public works job itself, it’s a lifestyle,” Barber said. “It’s not a job. Your life revolves around the weather. Everything is impacted by what the weather does and every incident, whether it’s a windstorm, snowstorm, rainstorm, there’s some type of impact that you get affected by. It’s a mindset, you know? You’re going to have to go to work. You’re going to have to leave family behind and go to work, and a lot of people can’t do it.”

Barber became Fire Chief the same year he took over the DPW, and he admits that the two jobs consumed him.

“It was a struggle,” he said. “It had a huge impact on my home life, obviously. I probably put work at the Fire Department ahead of family when I shouldn’t have.”

Barber is divorced, and his son, Seth, lives with his family in the house next door. That means Barber gets to spend lots of time with his two grandsons, Sam, 4, and Jase, who was born last summer.

“They bring me so much joy and innocent love, you know?” he said. “When your grandson reaches for your hand and wants to be with Gramp, that’s always the best.”

Sam has already shown an interest in the one hobby Barber has made time for: collecting old tractors and tractor-pulling.

Growing up on his grandfather’s dairy farm, Barber developed a love for tractors, especially older models. He now has twelve farm tractors and “eight or ten” modified garden tractors.

“That’s probably the only real enjoyment that I get that’s not work,” he said.

Anecdotes and Accolades from Colleagues and Friends

Town Council President Mark Trimmer described Barber as “old school.”

“He has dedicated his professional life to the town and taking care of the people of the town,” he said. “He is truly a servant- leader, and it’s biblical. There’s nothing more revered than a servant-leader. His kindness, his level-headedness, his lack of demeaning people. He’s a gentleman. He’s an old school gentleman.”

Town Administrator Karen Pinch recalled that when she began working for the town, Barber took her on the most complete guided tour, ever.

“Like he does with everyone, the first thing he did was offer to take me around the whole town, which takes a very long time,” she said. “You would never expect it, but it does. He drove me around every road in town and pointed out all of the high points and things that he thought that I should know.”

Keith Place, one of Barber’s closest friends, was First Deputy Fire Chief for 40 years and also served as Richmond’s Town Moderator. Place retired in 2021 and moved to Florida, but the two old friends have stayed in touch.

“You could talk to him and he’d help you out, and if you had any problems, you could go and talk to him,” Place said. “I think he’s a great guy. He’s done a lot for the town, and I think the town’s going to miss him.”

The DPW employees will probably miss Barber the most. Gary Robar and Cody Caswell, both of whom started as truck driver-laborers, are now superintendents.

“I’ve never had an issue with Scott, never,” Robar said. “He has the answers. He’s got a knowledge…  not only for public works but beyond, for laws and certain things.”

Asked if he had any special insights into his boss, Caswell joked,

“He always knows what he’s eating next. He knows what he’s having for dinner, or for lunch. He always makes sure he’s got something in the works for food.”

Then he added,

“As Swap Yankee as a Swamp Yankee can get. Down to earth, level headed – you treat him fair, he treats you fair.”