ORANGE — The Orange Wastewater Treatment Facility has new leadership for the first time in 40 years.
Oscar Rodriguez took over as chief operator for Edward Billiel Jr. on July 1 and will oversee the department’s budgeting, operations and day-to-day tasks, as well as the undertaking of replacing gravity sewer mains and water mains under North Main Street and a road reconstruction project in the same location.
“Working under Ed was great. He has a plethora of information, which is all stored in his elephant-like memory,” Rodriguez said of Billiel. “He’s a very nice person.”
Attempts to reach Billiel were unsuccessful.
Rodriguez, 38, said he was born in Northampton and raised primarily in Orange, where he still lives. He attended local schools and graduated from Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in 2003.
He started working at the Orange Wastewater Treatment Facility in October, having previously done contracting work for facilities across western Massachusetts. He also worked for Amherst and then at the wastewater plant at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Concord for most of his career.
“It’s really just a nice plant to oversee,” Rodriguez said of the Orange facility. “Not too big, not too small. A perfect fit.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.