Located in Chautauqua County, the westernmost county in New York State, are the towns of Sheridan and Dunkirk, where Highway Superintendent Jeffrey Feinen has served with the Highway Department for close to two decades now.
Elected in Sheridan and appointed in Dunkirk by the then town of Dunkirk supervisor, his first year in office was in 2006 and his current term expires Dec. 31 this year. He plans to run for another four-year term.
Historically though, it wasn't the norm for one superintendent to manage both towns.
"No, that was just the case with me," Jeff said. "The town of Dunkirk is a much smaller town. As a shared service, I always helped them."
Sheridan and Dunkirk Highway Departments photo
When the position became available, the town supervisor at the time needed help, presenting an opportunity for Jeff to step in. A formal shared services agreement, between the two towns and Jeff, sealed the deal.
Helpful toward his role as highway superintendent was Jeff's previous work experience, which included running his family's gravel pit, helping on the family farm and working as a union operator. He was in the fire department for 28 years and was the chief three times.
Jeff was asked by both parties upon the retirement of his predecessor to accept the position. Despite those prior work experiences, there were some nuances to the role he had to quickly familiarize himself with. He also did not have, at that time, the opportunity to train with or shadow his predecessors
"I had to learn a lot, which I don't think was a bad thing," Jeff said. "I didn't make mistakes, learned from people in the past and learned my own way of how to do things. For better or worse, that's how it happened. For instance, when I came in, I knew nothing about oiling. One of the salesmen came in the first day and was telling me the difference about cationic and anionic oils, and my head was spinning. But it didn't take long to figure out."
The Crew
Jeff and his team at the highway department serve approximately 2,500 residents in the municipality. To stay in touch with the residents of the area, Jeff's phone number is listed publicly and he interacts with residents when possible. Between team members, radios and phones are used for communication. Computers are used for e-mail research and dig tickets.
In the town of Sheridan, Jeff is assisted by Deputy Superintendent John Magierski and Motor Equipment Operators (MEO) Cole Szumigala and Dan Dale. In the town of Dunkirk, Deputy Superintendent Steve Haynes help with daily operations.
They work 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the summer and shifts of 3:30 a.m.–12 p.m. and 12 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the winter.
"I started that when I took over 20 years ago," said Jeff, about instituting shifts for his team during winter months, given the long work hours. "I met a lot of resistance from it, but it helped snow removal, which goes from December till March."
The total annual operating budget is $250,000. The annual CHIPS allocation over and above that is $260,000 in the town of Sheridan and $40,000 in the town of Dunkirk.
Highway department facilities include a five-bay shop built in the 1970s and several out buildings built in the 1940s, including one that served as the original highway building in the 1940s. Much of it is in disrepair and under consideration for renovation, Jeff shared. Under-cover capacity for salt storage is 150 tons mix.
Sheridan and Dunkirk Highway Departments photo
The main shop was added on to in 1973 and has all single-pane glass windows.
"Most have broken over the years and are boarded up," Jeff said. "But I do have a grant right now, and we're going to put all new glass block windows in there. And we put a roof on the building two years ago."
A small salt building that was built in the 1980s also is in line for replacement.
Jeff works with a local grant writer for some of these projects — his efforts have garnered Ralph Wilson grants for a playground and a multimodule grant through Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell.
The Machines
It is a mix fleet of used equipment, none leased. Everything is serviced in spring and fall.
• 2014 John Deere 544 loader
• 1999 Samsung SE170W3 wheeled excavator
• 2018 New Holland C232 track loader
• 2024 New Holland E35B mini excavator
• 2022 John Deere 5100M mowing tractor
• 1950s Alice Chalmers grader
• Plow trucks include 2002 International single axle, 2004 International single axle, 2005 International single axle, 2010 International single axle, 2011 Kenworth single axle
• 2010 International 10-wheeler
Sheridan and Dunkirk Highway Departments photo
Total lane miles of roads/streets the highway department is responsible for is just under 80 mi. in the town of Sheridan and 14.5 mi. in the town of Dunkirk, all town roads only and all paved. There are two plowing routes in Sheridan and one in Dunkirk. A normal full loop of all routes takes 2.5 hours each. The highway department is responsible for nine culverts that are 10 ft. or larger. Additional responsibilities include town-owned campgrounds and cemeteries are bid out.
Work in Progress
The municipality engineer/engineering firm is Nussbaumer & Clarke and Jeff is currently in the planning stages with them working on the town campground on the lake where they are rebuilding the bathhouse this fall and also addressing several large culvert replacements.
During his time in office, Jeff has repaved almost every road in the area and changed out three box culverts. Future projects include a new office/storage building, salt shed and getting all red-flagged culverts replaced, but the crew is currently focused on maintenance work as they are shorthanded.
He is a member of the Chautauqua County Highway Association, which hosts meetings every month.
"It's a good group of guys, we do a lot of shared services," Jeff said.
The towns of Dunkirk, Sheridan and four other towns share a bucket truck together. They also help each other with manpower and other projects, as needed.
Sheridan and Dunkirk Highway Departments photo
"The biggest challenge is the manpower, finding qualified people," Jeff said. "I used to try and hire somebody from the town every time, but the last several employees, we haven't been able to find that. It's been a complete challenge. Especially over the winter, I was running trucks quite a bit. It was a brutal winter. We have had a huge turnover in workers, so I'm starting to rebuild the crew. Also, the cost of our materials and other things has steadily gone up but our budgets haven't really risen enough to compensate. I would like to improve my buildings and make things easier for the next guy (taking on the highway superintendent position)."
The everyday challenges of the role can pose both a boon and bane, but Jeff also has experienced personal challenges in his professional capacity.
"I've had multiple town supervisors in both towns and had one in each pass away (in 2023). They were both friends. John Walker was the supervisor for the town of Sheridan when I took over and was helpful to me. The supervisor for the town of Dunkirk was Richard Purol. He first appointed me, and we had a good working relationship. Both died unexpectedly."
Other Pursuits
Jeff grew up in Sheridan and attended school in Fredonia. He has been married 24 years to his spouse, Alicia, and they have an 18-year-old daughter, Nora. When not working at the office, he likes working on his farm. While his father grew vegetables on the family farm, time constraints dictate Jeff's focus on grapes grown across 10 acres which, he sells to local companies.
Located on the shores of Lake Erie, the towns of Sheridan and Dunkirk were agricultural economies and still are. Many vineyards, wineries, greenhouses and farms call the area home. The land that became the town of Sheridan was originally inhabited by Native Americans.
Sheridan and Dunkirk Highway Departments photo
Nearby attractions are Lake Erie, which is the fourth-largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the Concord Grape Belt, the oldest and largest Concord-grape growing region in the world. The Chautauqua County Airport at Dunkirk is in the town of Sheridan.
Besides the highway department and the family farm, Jeff's efforts are channeled toward cause-oriented work. While a childhood injury restricted him from ever serving in the military, a conversation with a veteran during a local Memorial Day event resulted in his interest to assist veterans.
Jeff established a nonprofit foundation called the Warrior Relief Fund, dipping into his fundraising experience from his days at the fire department, to raise money for veterans. They also raise money for local organizations such as The Dwyer Foundation, which focuses on community projects; The Range Ranch, which is a rehabilitation ranch in Fredonia; and Whirlwind Veterans and Warrior Retreat, which is in Angola, Erie County. P
(All photos courtesy of the town of Sheridan and Dunkirk highway departments.)
