As a kid, Todd Martin spent countless hours riding his bike over the dirt roads in and around the town of Clinton, memorizing every muddy rut, rocky patch and pothole trying to get in his way.
Today, at 55, he is still taming the trails. Only now it's not just about satisfying a growing wanderlust; Todd is the town's highway superintendent, responsible for overseeing the daily maintenance of 134 lane mi. throughout this picturesque municipality in western Dutchess County, as well as 32.86 lane mi. of surrounding county roads.
Town of Clinton highway department photo
Having been born and raised here, Todd feels a deep connection to its history. The town was named for Gov. George Clinton of the Revolutionary War era, formed from parts of Charlotte and Rhinebeck precincts in 1786; it became an official town two years later, according to town historian Craig Marshall.
In January 1821, the town was dissected to create Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley, reducing its size to roughly 38 square mi. It is bounded on the north by Rhinebeck and Milan, on the south by Pleasant Valley, on the east by Washington and Stanford, and on the west by Hyde Park.
It could be said that Todd was born for the job. Before he could ride a bike, he was a fan of heavy equipment, spending many hours watching dump trucks, backhoes and snowplows rumbling past his home. At school, his teacher frequently admonished him for not paying attention, telling him staring out the window won't help him get a paying job in the future. Proving her wrong warms his heart.
Todd got his first paychecks out of high school working construction, but at 23 he made a move that started a journey to highway superintendent. A motor trader was in town, modeling a boat grader. When he took a break away from the vehicle, Todd — nearby and bored — jumped in and pretended he was the operator. Then-superintendent Charles "Chick" Wyant also was nearby and watched Todd's antics.
"He said, alright, fine," said Todd, laughing. Chick proceeded to teach him everything he knew about operating heavy equipment and a little more than two years later, offered him a job in the department. "I said, ‘Heck, yeah' and started a week later."
That was nearly 34 years ago. Todd gradually worked his way up, taking over for a short time when his predecessor, Theron Tompkins, suffered a heart attack. Tompkins came back but retired not long after.
"Here I sit, seven years later," said Todd. While some may dread getting up early and going to work, he doesn't. "I get up and run to work. It's that type of job."
Town of Clinton highway department photo
Todd oversees a crew of nine full-timers — Shop Foreman Christopher Burns; heavy motor equipment operators Matthew Frye, TJ Tompkins, Bob Lapine, Jamie Susczynski, Gavin Reichelt and Frank Iachetta; laborer Timothy Bathrick; and motor equipment operator Josh Sall. Part-timers are Roberta Grant, Connor Burns and Ken Wallace. Todd's right hand, confidential secretary Melissa Karchmer, notes that Todd is the town's first superintendent to hire a woman to work on the road crew.
Normal working hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but weather emergencies and special circumstances can bring them in any day, any time. The job of snowplowing, for instance, has eight routes that take approximately two and a half hours each to complete. Todd recalls a time when winter weather routinely dumped such huge snowfalls, he'd take his tractor over to the department to help out.
"Now it's more ice storms than anything," he said.
He's proud of the innovative ideas he and his crew come up with for maintaining roadways; they now use environmentally-friendly salting methods and creative leaf removal techniques for dirt road ditches.
The crew does its job using more than 40 pieces of equipment — some of it shared with other area municipalities — to include two excavators, two loaders, several dump trucks and pick-ups, a grader, a dirt road roller, roadside mower, road sweeper, an asphalt dragbox, a wood chipper and a bucket truck.
Todd is not about brand loyalty when it comes to replacing equipment.
"He's more concerned about the price and reliable value he gets from each machine," said Karchmer.
The department's facilities are more than 30 years old, department computer records show, and the age of some equipment isn't far behind. Todd anticipates needing a newer tractor and snowplows soon, and would like to add a water truck, hot box and new grader to the department's equipment lineup.
Town of Clinton highway department photo
The crew works out of two garages, with a portion of one serving as a sheriff's department substation and office. There are a couple of fuel pumps, a cold storage facility, covered sand and salt sheds, the latter of which holds up to 8,000 tons of salt.
An annual operating budget of $2.2 million, of which $401,940 comes from a CHIPS allotment, helps Todd and his crew keep the town's 4,000-plus residents moving along its 52 paved and 17 gravel roadways.
In addition to the fire and sheriff's departments, Todd and his crew work closely with town engineer Mark Long of CPL Team; current projects include a private road being turned over to the municipality and a major culvert replacement on another road. Future projects on the drawing board are updates to highly-traveled back roads and replacing antiquated culvert crossings, which are being identified in a 400-page culvert report.
At some point in the future, Todd has a goal of creating a pavement management system that collects road data that could be used to make the best cost-effective decisions for road maintenance and repairs.
Responding to roadway obstructions and planning necessary projects aren't the only things that make Todd a great highway supervisor, Karchmer said. He's always looking for ways to fix problems. Communications between the crew and other departments, especially the fire, were challenging. The department was operating on a low-band system, while the fire department was on high-band.
Town of Clinton highway department photo
Todd worked with Assembly Member Didi Barrett's office in securing a $125,000 State and Municipalities (SAM) grant for a high-band two-way radio communications system, which keeps Todd and his crew in constant touch with each other and the town's fire department, which shares the system.
"Especially after September 11, the need to have a cohesive communication system grew stronger," Karchmer said. "This newly purchased system enables clear communications between the essential workers during high emergency situations."
His enthusiasm for the job and technical expertise — he holds road master certifications from Cornell University in addition to his years of practical experience — aren't the only things that make Todd a top-notch highway superintendent, said Karchmer. His family roots run deep; Todd is a fourth-generation Clintonian, his children are fifth.
"He is an inspiration to many of us with his love and determination for our small historic town," she said. "His knowledge of the town is fascinating. He has a special knack for fostering cooperation among our very large group of highway employees and making us all feel like a big family."
Todd feels fortunate to work with a tight-knit, dedicated crew. He agrees with Karchmer about the family-like relationship, naming her as its matriarch.
"She is phenomenal, she will help anyone and everybody," Todd said. In the break room, for instance, Karchmer has a box to collect soda cans. She recycles and uses the money to gift each crew member a cake on their birthday.
Town of Clinton highway department photo
Todd's long history with Clinton gives him a special connection to residents, as well as his crew. He has an open-door policy and a highway department website with current information about road conditions and projects. Residents show their appreciation with homemade cookies, muffins, brownies, sandwiches and old clothes. The crew cuts them up and uses them for rags.
"The people here are just awesome," Todd said.
Nothing proved that more than when COVID hit, he added. "People came out of the woodwork to help us out. It gives me a good feeling whenever I think about it."
Community involvement is a core value for Todd. He serves as the president of the Dutchess County Highway Association and said one of his favorite things about the job — aside from a birthday cake — is being of service to multiple generations of families he knows so well. When one of the old timers passes on, Todd feels the loss.
For decades, the town came together once a year for Clinton Community Day, an all-day festival of fellowship and fun topped off with an evening parade. A shortage of funding and volunteers put it into remission, but Todd helped pull it out by rallying a group of diverse community members in 2022 — now known as the Friends of Clinton — who resurrected the event. It takes place at the historic Creek Meeting House, built by the Quakers in 1777 and is one of four town landmarks on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Todd and his crew also are active with the town's annual holiday light display and tree-lighting ceremony. A parade featuring the highway department trucks delivers Santa to the party. They also assist the town's recreation department with its programs and special events.
For as much as Todd loves his town and his job, the wanderlust of his childhood has yet to wane. As a side job, he spends some nights and weekends hauling things like heavy machinery with his 25-ft. Dodge tractor trailer. He's gone through 40 states with it, from Washington to Maine and back. Two years ago, he picked up a 1914 Old Rhinebeck Airdrome bi-plane built by hand with canvas and bamboo in Newburgh and delivered it to a museum in Plattsburgh — a 250-mi. drive. The delicate plane flew in wars and the New York state skyways until it was grounded by old age. At the time, experts put its value at $7 million.
"I drove 35 to 40 miles an hour, talk about nerves," said Todd. "But that's my adrenaline. I was high for weeks over that."
But for now and the foreseeable future, though, Todd remains dedicated to Clinton, its residents, and his families — biological and work-related. He'll continue to rise before dawn, beat feet to the highway department compound, and relish every minute of it until his body says stop.
He just hopes that day doesn't come any time soon. P
