Mayor Mitchell Names Zeb Arruda as New Commissioner of City’s Department of Public Infrastructure

Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that he has selected Euzebio “Zeb” Arruda to succeed Ronald Labelle, who retired at the end of June, as the next Commissioner of the City’s Department of Public Infrastructure. Zeb Arruda has worked in the City of New Bedford Department of Public (DPI) Infrastructure for the past eighteen years and served alongside Labelle as Deputy Commissioner of DPI for the last three years.

Arruda is licensed by the Commonwealth Massachusetts to operate both water distribution and collection systems. He is Vice President of the Norfolk Bristol Middlesex Highway Association and a member of the American Public Works Association Snow and Ice Committee. Arruda has also completed training with the Bay State Roads Program on highway, road and street technology.

Arruda will lead New Bedford DPI’s 158 employees whose wide-ranging duties include maintaining and operating critical municipal infrastructure including the public water and wastewater distribution and treatment systems, seven New Bedford-owned cemeteries, and broad network of public spaces which includes six major parks and many other neighborhood parks and playgrounds.

“Whatever the task before it, DPI finds a way to deliver the very best for our residents. Zeb is incredibly passionate about New Bedford and has demonstrated the leadership skills necessary to ensure that DPI continues to be one of the most innovative, productive and responsive departments of its kind anywhere,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.

DPI employees can be seen working throughout New Bedford on a daily basis completing tasks like filling potholes, lining city streets, repairing streetlights and traffic signals, planting trees, flushing hydrants, setting up for dozens of public festivals and events, maintaining and repairing sidewalks, among other tasks.

I am so pleased to have the opportunity to continue to work with the talented and dedicated team of employees we have in place at DPI. We are committed to providing the highest quality of services to New Bedford residents,” said Zeb Arruda.

DPI’s major projects currently underway include replacing gate valves on the water transmission pipeline from the Quitticas water reservoir to Coggeshall Street; separating sewer lines on Coggeshall Street, building the Covewalk pathway atop the hurricane barrier, rebuilding the Walnut Street/Acushnet Avenue intersection and planting hundreds of street trees among other activities.

Examples of projects completed by DPI in 2015 include the construction of the “Harbor Walk,” a 3,400 foot long recreational pathway atop the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier; a redesign of the “Octopus” intersection at Route 6 downtown and the removal of a nearby pedestrian bridge; rebuilding an entrance to Brooklawn Park; installing a new turf soccer field at Riverside Park; installing a new grass soccer field and restoring the duck pond at Brooklawn Park; replacing 800 feet of sewer main under the New Bedford–Fairhaven Bridge for a pump station on Pope’s Island; installing water mains on MacArthur Drive, Almy Street in the far North End, and Metropolitan Street in the West End; and much more.

Mayor Mitchell will submit Arruda’s appointment to the City Council for confirmation at its next meeting.