CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The head of West Virginia state government's General Services Division has departed.

David Oliverio was abruptly dismissed from his job Friday afternoon after seven years as General Services director.

"The Department of Administration is going in a different direction and will be selecting new leadership soon," said Diane Holley-Brown, a spokeswoman for the department.

The General Services Division takes care of buildings and grounds at the state Capitol Complex and more than 30 additional state-owned buildings across West Virginia.

Oliverio, who made $80,052 last year, said his dismissal came as a surprise. His last day was Friday.

 "All they told me was they wanted to go in a new direction," he said Monday. "I was surprised, and I was hurt, but I'm not angry."

In February 2006, Oliverio took over a General Services Division that had been rocked by repeated scandals. Supervisors were abusing overtime. An employee was dismissed for pirating movie and music DVDs with agency equipment. The Capitol cafeteria was shut down after being hit by 50 food safety violations.

The state Capitol building also needed numerous repairs after years of neglect.

In response, Oliverio set up special division sections for business matters, architecture and engineering, and safety and health.

"I think we built an agency that's tremendously better than it was seven years ago," Oliverio said.

Under Oliverio's watch, General Services completed numerous projects at the state Capitol: cleaning the building's exterior, refurbishing windows, installing a new heating and cooling system, and renovating the food court.

Other projects included a new gift shop at the Culture Center, renovations at the Office of Technology on the 10th floor of Building 5, and electrical and lighting upgrades.

"I certainly enjoyed my time at General Services," Oliverio said. "I really liked my work."

Administration Secretary Ross Taylor plans to take over Oliverio's duties until a new director is hired.

"Secretary Taylor is going to be very involved during the transition period," Holley-Brown said.

General Services employees found out about Oliverio's departure during a staff meeting with Taylor Monday morning. Workers who requested anonymity said they were told Oliverio was "moving on to bigger and better things."

Oliverio said he would miss his job at the state Capitol.

"I think we did some good over the past seven years," he said. "I have good memories. I'm going to miss everybody."

Oliverio, 56, said he has no immediate plans or job prospects.

"This came so suddenly," he said Monday. "I'm still young, and I'm ready for a new chapter in my life."

Oliverio, a Scott Depot native, previously served as physical plant director for Lynchburg College in Virginia. He also worked as a building maintenance supervisor for American Electric Power and as a site planner with several engineering firms.

Holley-Brown said Oliverio's replacement would be named within the next several weeks.

In February, more than a dozen General Services employees were scolded for tampering with GPS devices placed on their state-owned cars and trucks. The state has started installing the devices to keep track of the state vehicle fleet. Workers allegedly cut wires or installed bolts and other metal devices that interfered with the GPS signals.

The Department of Administration is investigating.