6 named Master Road Scholars

Friday, January 11, 2013

Courtesy photo


Merrimack Highway Department employees, from left, Steve Curtis, Bob Golemo, Larry Gay, Ernie Doucette, Bruce Moreau, John Trythall and Dean Stearns, graduated as masters from the Road Scholars program.

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Six members of the Merrimack Highway Department – Steve Curtis, Bob Golemo, Larry Gay, Ernie Doucette, John Trythall, and Dean Stearns – recently earned the status of Master Road Scholar.

Statewide, 20 Master Road Scholars program graduates were honored at a Dec. 5 luncheon at the Technical Transfer Center at the University of New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Roads Scholar Program establishes educational and training requirements for municipal-level highway workers, and recognizes those who have successfully completed specified Technical Transfer Center programs. Annually, the T2 Center publishes a directory to acknowledge those who have earned an achievement level among roads scholars.

“We think that having six graduates at the same time is quite an accomplishment, clearly showing that we in Merrimack believe in education and professional development,” said Bruce Moreau, the town’s highway foreman. “These six join four other Master Road Scholars that are in our department.”

Including Moreau, the six new scholars join the ranks of Master Road Scholar with Jeff Strong, Bob Lovering and Jason Kimball. The Highway Division is responsible for maintaining more than 160 miles of local roadways, 14 bridges and town sidewalks, as well as all town-owned parks, cemeteries and recreational fields.

“With a department staff of only 22, having 10 as Master Road Scholars is quite impressive,” Moreau said.

There are four levels in the N.H. Roads Scholar Program.

Each level has a defined number of contact hours, and Level 2 requires specific subject area coverage. A contact hour is an hour of actual instruction. Therefore, a typical one-day workshop includes five hours of instruction, which earn students five credits.

A specific subject area is defined for each workshop. There are also specific subject area coverage to ensure training covers a range of subjects essential to local road management. Roads Scholar 1 requires 25 contact hours. Roads Scholar 2 requires 50 contact hours in specific subject areas – 25 hours of technical road maintenance or repair, five hours supervision or personal development, five hours liability or safety, five hours environmental and 10 additional hours (electives).

Senior Roads Scholar requires 75 contact hours. Master Roads Scholar requires 100 contact hours.