WESTBROOK – The city is looking for a better way to manage building maintenance following the termination the contract of its director of building and facilities management, Russ Brigham, according to City Manager Jerre Bryant.

Bryant said the city has issued Brigham, who is technically employed by the school district, a 60-day notice of his termination. His last day, Bryant said, will be May 16.

The dismissal was not a reflection on Brigham’s performance in his position, Bryant said. Instead, Bryant said, Brigham was dismissed because it was clear there was a problem with his job description.

“Too much got loaded onto one position, too broad a range of responsibilities,” he said.

Interim School Superintendent Marc Gousse echoed Bryant’s sentiments about Brigham’s performance.

“Russ is a quality person,” Gousse said. “What he brings to the table certainly will be missed.”

Bryant said the city brought Brigham in about a year ago as an employee of the school district. At that time, the director of building and facilities management position was redesigned to also include the assessment of municipal buildings.

That means, Bryant said, that Brigham was expected to continually evaluate all city property, including heating and ventilations systems, code compliance, and various other needs. Brigham’s position was supposed to help the city stay a step ahead of maintenance issues up. Bryant said it gradually became clear that asking one person to do this, and manage the city’s custodial and maintenance services, as well, was too much.

Brigham, reached at his office Wednesday, agreed that the position was difficult for a single person to handle. He said managing the staff alone was a challenge.

“I was managing 68 people directly,” he said.

Right now, the school district is trying to fill a $3.6 million gap in its budget caused in part by massive revenue shortfalls this year. Gousse said he did not know how much money the district was saving with Brigham’s dismissal, but said the reorganization of the position was brought on partly by the budget problems.

“We have been working with the city very hard to conserve services, to do more with less,” he said.

Brigham, 54, said he hasn’t decided what his next career move will be. He once owned a consulting business, and has worked in industrial management, as well. As to the district and the city, he said he bears no ill will toward anyone, and understands that the city is doing the best it can right now with a very difficult financial situation.

“I wish them all the luck in the world,” he said.

Bryant said City Engineer Eric Dudley will be handling Brigham’s job in the interim, but officials are still trying to figure out whether they need to hire a permanent replacement, and what that replacement’s duties will be.