Irondale mayor spotlights public works director, outlines recycling plan and equipment needs

Mayor James Douglas Seward junior sat down with Frank Pennington, Irondale's public works director, to discuss day-to-day operations, staffing challenges and plans to host a regional recycling facility.

Pennington, who said he has worked for the city roughly 25 years, detailed the department's responsibilities and capacity. "We do the paving projects," Pennington said, listing stormwater infrastructure, building maintenance, vehicle repairs (the shop is led by Walter Bennett), grass cutting, culvert and storm-drain pipe work. He said the city is responsible for "114 miles of roadway" and credited recent investments: "We've covered just about every single road in Irondale" over the last five years with crack sealing, microsurfacing or paving.

Why it matters: Public works manages essential services that affect residents' daily lives—garbage and recycling pickup, emergency road access and water-main repairs. Staffing, equipment and regional partnerships determine how reliably those services are delivered.

Pennington described routine planning and emergency response. "Mondays, we pick up recycling," he said, describing crew assignments and the need to pivot when employees call in. He asserted the department "has never missed a day of garbage" in his 25 years, and said GPS tracking is used to confirm routes. He added that crews volunteer during storms and that coordination with police and fire is part of clearing access to disaster sites: "They were waiting on us to clear them a path to get in there."

On personnel, Pennington told the mayor the hardest part of his job is staffing: "I'm in a leadership position, which I hire and fire. I love to hire. But the job dictates sometimes you have to fire," he said, noting the emotional difficulty when livelihoods are involved.

Pennington also described a recent infrastructure repair: a water main break on Terry Lane that removed about a quarter of the road, an example he used to illustrate the department's daily triage work.

Equipment and regional planning were prominent topics. Pennington said he and the mayor are "looking at, trying to bring a recycle facility for Eastern Jefferson County to the city of Irondale" and are "speaking with Adam for possible grants" and "working with ADEM" to advance the idea. He said the department needs items such as a knuckle boom but that he is frugal with purchases. "We've invested in the last five years in equipment," he added, saying the city can handle many tornado and storm cleanups internally.

The mayor framed public works as central to municipal function: "Public works is the backbone of the city," he said, praising crews who work in difficult weather and emphasizing that investments in equipment and personnel keep services running.

The city has not announced a final decision or timeline for the recycling facility; Pennington described the conversations as exploratory and said they are seeking grant support.

The interview closed with the mayor announcing a new "mayor's mailbag" segment and an upcoming guest. Pennington thanked the mayor and council for support of the department.