In accordance with the tradition of the American Public Works Association, those who work in professions that provide and maintain public facilities and services will be honored during National Public Works Week, May 20-26, 2018. Public works professionals include those who manage water, sewers, public transportation, and refuse removal systems as well as those responsible for maintaining roads, public buildings, and grounds.
To celebrate and acknowledge these employees, the City of Sheboygan DPW will host an open house from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 19, 2018. This free event takes place at the Municipal Service Building (2026 New Jersey Avenue) and the Wastewater Treatment Plant (3333 Lakeshore Drive.) The open house will occur rain or shine. Please bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Sheboygan County Food Bank and receive a raffle ticket per item donated. Some of the raffle items include: Quarry waterpark pass, Sheboygan A’s season pass, Sheboygan parks shelter rental, and more. The first 100 people through the doors at each facility will receive one Sheboygan A’s game pass. The first 10 kids through the doors at each facility will receive a P.W. Paws coloring pack.
The Municipal Service Building will have equipment on display that is used to fulfill our mission of “Improving the Quality of Life.” DPW employees will be on hand to explain how the equipment works and to answer questions about the work we complete.
The department has 100 dedicated individuals facilitating the services necessary to accomplish the goals and objectives to meet the community’s needs. The DPW has improved the efficiencies of its workforce through the addition of skilled workers and implementing technologies and equipment that provide a comparative advantage.
The City of Sheboygan encompasses 14.46 square miles and has 200 miles of City streets. Underneath the streets, there are approximately 270 miles of sanitary and storm sewers. The City has approximately 600 acres of park land and 27,500 City-owned trees. The DPW maintains and repairs the 39 signalized intersections, 4,505 street lights, and 30,000 street signs.
The Wastewater Treatment Plant will offer tours of its advanced treatment processes, including the biosolids processing and drying and the combined heat and power generation systems. On average the Wastewater Treatment Plant treats 11 million gallons of water daily. The public will have the opportunity to see the technology used to clean the water, recover resources, and produce lake water.
The public is invited to bring their own five-gallon pails or containers to take home “Sheboygan Green,” a slow-release natural fertilizer produced from the nutrients recovered from the wastewater treatment process and dried onsite. The Sheboygan Green is a nutrient-rich product approved for residential use, and can easily be applied to your lawn with a rotary spreader or used in your garden as a soil amendment.
The everyday maintenance and routine work is not glamorous, but it is vitally important. I am proud to recognize the hard working dedicated employees of the Department of Public Works as we celebrate National Public Works Week. Next time you see a DPW crew or city worker think about all of the things that need to be maintained and how challenging life would be without public works. Take time to thank them for all their efforts to keep our city clean and working properly.