By Lillian Reiner
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org
Wyoming street sweeper Carlos Ochoa was eager to share with the community about the 1,500 miles of streets he’s responsible for cleaning at the recent 15th Annual Public Works Open House last Monday.
Ochoa also talked about the valuables such as wallets and phones that he often picks up and returns to their owners.
Attendees could explore a street sweeper, hydro excavator, sewer cleaner, bucket truck, plow, sign truck, and motor grader just to name a few. Beyond learning about the vehicles, families could enjoy a free hot dog and play games, as well as interactive demonstrations about stormwater runoff, maintaining sink and toilet pipes, and how to recycle old household products and gas that many do not know where to dispose.
“This is a great community event for families and anybody really, that’s interested in what we do and the services that we provide as a city,” said Jay VanDyke, Assistant Director of Wyoming Public Works. “Out of this garage we do water, sewer, and street infrastructure maintenance, as well as managing traffic signals, including the engineering components of those kinds of things.”
The Public Works Department is responsible for the construction, maintenance, and repairs of streets, sidewalks, waterlines, sewer systems, traffic signals and signs, and city vehicles and equipment.
Work Zone Safety Poster Contest
Third graders from around Kent County received awards for the caution signs they designed at the Open House. In the 10th annual Work Zone Safety Poster Contest, students were tasked with creating a caution sign showcasing safety tips for motorists approaching a work zone, including no distractions, obeying flaggers and signs, and slow down/move over.
Steve Roon, Director of Maintenance and Local Road Construction at Kent County Road Commission, shared that this contest encourages students to think back to what they’ve learned about road safety and to be more aware of the signs when they’re driving through work zones that are full of them.The Wyoming Public Works Department has hosted the open house for 15 years, allowing community members the rare opportunity to explore and learn about the vehicles and people they see maintaining their roads and waterways everyday.
“You can look around and see hundreds of kids running around, really getting to see what we do many times for a brief second as we go by following snow or fixing a water main that’s broken in the front yard and causing a hardship,” Roon said. “They can see us maybe as community members, drivers, operators, and see what we do everyday,”
Wyoming residents Holly and Ryder Waldenmeyer saw the signs for the open house while driving by and decided to stop in and learn more.
“Ryder is super interested in water towers, roadwork, and construction vehicles, so this was a perfect learning opportunity for him, and we thought it would be really fun to explore and see all the vehicles,” Holly said. For Ryder, the highlight of the night was being able to go inside all of the equipment that he’s never been in before.”
This year’s National Public Works Week ran from May 17-23, with the theme “Rooted in service, powered by community,” highlighting the important role that Public Works personnel play in their local communities.
