Groton — Groton plans to cut the hours of its transfer station effective July 1, eliminate two public works jobs and lay off the job of the director of emergency management, Town Manager John Burt said Friday.

The transfer station currently is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday but would close on Wednesday and Thursday under the proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year. The full budget proposal is due to be released on March 15.

Two positions are being eliminated in public works, but due to employee seniority bumping others into vacant jobs, the result will likely be one layoff.

In addition, the budget eliminates the job of the director of emergency management job, turning those duties over to existing personnel within the police department.

Joseph Sastre, 62, who has been in that post for 16 years, said he was called into the police chief's office Wednesday and told his position would be eliminated as of June 1.

"It was a bit of a shock," he said. 

Given the budget challenges and cuts, Sastre said, "I kind of figured something like this was going to happen. I didn't think it was going to happen this fast, but it is what it is. We all work at the pleasure of the (town) manager ultimately. So it's his show."

Sastre said he doesn't know what the future will hold. There's no way he'll be able to fully transfer all of his duties to someone else by June, but he is glad no dispatchers will lose their jobs, he said.

"I've been blessed with a great group of people for 16 years," he said. "They truly care about people and they've made my job a lot easier because they know how to do theirs. And the first responder community, the fire, the police, the EMS, they're all great here. I came here, I knew nobody, and I'm walking out of here and I consider a lot of people my friends."

Sastre worked for the Milford Police Department for 27 years and retired as a lieutenant before taking the job in Groton.

Regarding the job cuts, Burt said, "It's unfortunate that we have to look at eliminating positions, but we also have a financial responsibility to the public to operate as efficiently as possible." 

The Town Council directed Burt to cut what he could, Councilor Lian Obrey said. She said Burt would make cuts, then the council would review them and do what it could.

“We’re trying to keep the services. Some things are going to have to be minimal, but I don’t think people want their taxes to go up much, and that what’s we’re working at,” she said.

“We’re looking at everything and trying to be accountable for the decisions we make, trying to make decisions that won’t hurt people,” she said. “But I suspect there will be a few (decisions) this year that will be a little painful to a couple of people.”

 d.straszheim@theday.com