Tag Archives: Department of Public Works

Kentwood Department of Public Works to celebrate National Public Works Week with open house

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By City of Kentwood

A family learns about some of the work the Kentwood Department of Publics handles at a past open house. (Supplied)

Community members are invited to learn more about how local public works departments serve residents at the Kentwood Department of Public Works’ Community Open House on Wednesday, May 18.

  

The event will be hosted in partnership with the Kent County Road Commission in recognition of National Public Works Week, which is May 15-21. The open house will take place on Wednesday, May 18 4-7 p.m. at the Kentwood Department of Public Works facility at 5068 Breton Ave. SE.

Community members of all ages will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the DPW facility and learn more about the department. They will be able to meet the public works team, learn more about services provided and explore vehicles and other equipment used by the department.

“From snow plowing and streets to police cruisers and parks maintenance, public works supports many areas of everyday life,” Public Works Director Chad Griffin said. “This event gives us an opportunity to demonstrate that work and connect with residents to share more about our role in the community and the equipment we use.”

The event will feature giveaways, hands-on activities, live maintenance, repair demonstrations and more. Complimentary food and refreshments will be provided. Free silver maple, river birch and blue spruce tree seedlings will also be available for attendees to take home.

Additionally, semifinalists and finalists of the Work Zone Safety Poster competition will be honored at 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by Kent County Road Commission and public works agencies throughout Kent County, the poster contest invited third-grade students from across the county to design a caution sign focused on safety tips for driving through a work zone. A gallery of entries will be displayed during the event.

The Kent County Road Commission will also have team members and equipment on site to share more about the work they do.

“Our crew members are excited to discuss different aspects of their work with the community and highlight how we can work together to maintain safer roads for everyone,” said Steven Warren, managing director of the Kent County Road Commission. ” We are dedicated to improving public infrastructure, and this event is a wonderful opportunity to showcase how we serve our communities.”

The Kentwood Department of Public Works has five divisions that work together to maintain the City’s infrastructure, which includes more than 150 miles of pipes underground and more than 155 miles of streets above ground, as well as City parks and grounds, buildings and fleet of vehicles. The five divisions are building maintenance, fleet services, grounds maintenance, streets maintenance and utilities (water and wastewater) services. To learn more about Kentwood DPW, visit kentwood.us/DPW.

Prior to the open house, Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley will provide a proclamation for National Public Works Week during the May 17 City Commission meeting. 

Wyoming’s odd/even parking runs through March 31

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By the City of Wyoming

The City of Wyoming’s odd/even parking ordinance is in effect through March 31. The ordinance helps facilitate the City’s snow plowing operations.

Under the ordinance, residents must park on the side of the street that corresponds with that day’s date. For example, on Feb. 5 cars should be parked on the side of the street with odd-numbered addresses. On Feb. 6 cars should be parked on the side of the street with even-numbered addresses. On a cul-de-sac, parking may occur on even-numbered days.

Cars mus the parked on the correct side of the street from midnight to 7 p.m. From 7 p.m. to midnight, they may be parked on either side. Odd-even parking rules apply to all streets in Wyoming that are not already designated “no parking.”

For questions, please contact the City of Wyoming’s Department of Public Works at 616-530-7260.

Brian Bennett named as City of Wyoming’s new fire chief

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Brian Bennett has been named as the new deputy director of fire services/fire chief for the City of Wyoming.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

A familiar face will be taking over as the City of Wyoming’s new fire chief.

 

At its regular Monday meeting, the Wyoming City Council unanimously approved a contact to hire Brian Bennett as the city’s new deputy director of fire services or fire chief. Bennett replaces former Fire Chief Chuck Lark who retired.

 

Bennett came to the department three years ago when Lark was hired to serve as the assistant deputy director of fire operations for the City of Wyoming. Before coming to Wyoming in 2015, Bennett was the fire chief for the Caledonia Fire Department 12 years and before that, served as the deputy chief for that department. Firefighting runs in the family as Bennett’s father was a firefighter for 30 years and his sons,Tony and Brad, are also firefighters with Brad received a unit commendation during the 2017 City of Wyoming Department of Public Safety’s awards ceremony.

 

“About three years ago we approached Brian Bennett along with Chuck Lark with an idea and asked them if they would come and lead our fire department,” said Wyoming’s Public Safety Chief Kim Koster. “We deploy our fire department in some traditional ways, so we were looking for someone who was willing to think outside of the box and be willing to come in and work hard and provide some excellent leadership. Brian stepped up to the plate along with Chief Lark at the time.

 

“Lark has since retired and we decided we would like to go in the same direction that we have been going for the last three years and we believe that Brian Bennett will continue the forward movement of the fire department.”

 

The positive momentum has included opening the Gezon Fire Station 24/7 which has helped to reduce the city’s overall response times to 4 minutes and 27 seconds, which Koster pointed out earlier in the meeting with her presentation of the Department of Public Safety’s annual report.

 

While response times have gone down, the department has seen a 15 percent increase in calls every year since 2015, Koster said, adding that she credits some of that increase to continue growth of the south side of the city which has had a number of commercial and residential construction projects. The department also added three full-time firefighters, expanded its part-time program and all firefighters are trained to the EMT Level 1.

 

About 17 parks and public works employees have been cross-trained to help the fire department during structural fires and the department has developed a special response program that includes water, ice, trench, hazmat, and machine rescue.

 

“We really have been progressive the last three years,” Bennett said after the meeting, pointing out that a combination of full- and part-time firefighters allowed the city to have the Gezon Fire Station operational 24/7. Members of the department also have been involved in a number of community events such as Soups-On, WinterFest, WY-FI Concerts in the Park, Relay for Life, Pumpkin Path and National Night Out.

 

He said he sees the department continue to build on that progress to provide the best service it can to the city and its residents. This includes continuing the accreditation process for the Wyoming Fire Department.

 

“We’ve appreciated your service over the last couple of years and trust that the fire department will continue to show great progress and there has been a lot of good continued to happen since Chief Lark and you have been here and we trust that will continue on,” said Mayor Jack Poll at the meeting.

A little rain did not deter Wyoming residents for attending city’s annual Public Works Day event

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

It was a little wet and rainy on Monday but it didn’t stop Wyoming residents or employees from enjoying this year’s National Public Works event at the Wyoming Department of Public Works.

 

“It seems like it has been 20 years that we have been doing this and we haven’t had a night where it has been raining,” said Public Works Director Bill Dooley. “It is uncanny how every single year, even if it was raining earlier in the day by the time it got to this event, the sky would open up and it would be sunny and warm. So, we are a little disappointed that it is rainy but we are probably due for something like this.”

 

In 1960 the American Public Works Association established National Public Works Week to create a better understand of the various responsibilities of a Public Works facility in maintaining the infrastructure of its community. This includes such areas as ground maintenance, sewer and water, potholes and road maintenance, and snowplowing to list a few of the many services provided by these departments.

 

Having hosted a Public Works Week Open House for the past 24 years, the event has become one of the City of Wyoming’s most anticipated activities for families.

 

While the rain did curb this year’s numbers – Dooley estimated the department will only go through about a third of its usually 2,000 hot dogs – many still came out to enjoy the event and learn more the Wyoming Department of Public Works.

 

“We do this because we want the community to feel really comfortable with who we are,” Dooley said. “We’re the public works organization and we take care of the streets, water system and the sewer system and there is a lot of aspects in doing that. So, we want to make sure that the public feels comfortable with us helping them.”

 

The event is focused around families with the department sending flyers out to the area schools. With that in mind, the activities are children-focused with the food being hot dogs, balloons and coloring books, and the vehicles Dooley said, adding “little children like to sit in the trucks and be around them…”

 

“We so look forward to this,” Dooley said. “Unfortunately, the weather isn’t perfect, but even if there was only 10 families here we would be so happy to have them and welcome them and just spend time to get to know them. So, we will do this every year as it is a lot of fun for us.”