By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
The city of Florence will hold a Public Works Academy this summer for anyone who would like to see what the Public Works crews do, and get a chance to learn what the job is all about.
For the second straight year, people can apply on the website to be part of a working apprenticeship, learning what happens in six divisions within Public Works.
“Last year was our first year and we received about a dozen applications,” said Adam Duncan, Operations Manager for Public Services. “We ended up with about 5 people, and they went through a seven week program with us. A lot of people don’t realize what we do as the public services department, and this is a good way to find out.”
In the first week the new workers go through training, to be qualified in CPR and AED, which is Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, and the Automated External Defibrillator. They also train and become certified in OSHA 10, and Duncan said once someone is certified in that, they are certified for life.
The next six weeks of the program are split among the 6 divisions of Public Works. They always begin with Transportation, because that division deals with concrete and asphalt, including maintenance and repair. They maintain 380 city owned streets, and 181 miles of streets.
The second week is sanitary sewers, which deals with jetting and televising the lines throughout the entire city. There are 133 miles of sanitary sewer mains, and 65 miles of storm sewer mains. There are 149 miles of water mains, 6 pump stations, and 9187 water meters. They also repair manhole covers.
The third week covers grounds, and includes mowing and landscaping about 240 acres throughout the city. This department also plants flowers and trees, and puts down mulch in the 309,648 square feet of landscape beds. There are approximately 6,460 trees in the parks. The city has 8 active neighborhood parks, excluding the skate park, Bell Park, the Florence Community Plaza, and the Aquatic Center.
The fourth week deals with water. The city is a full service city and they have their own water, so this division makes sure the water mains are functional, as well as the fire hydrants and the water meters.
Building maintenance is the fifth week. Duncan said there are 26 buildings within the city, and any repair in any of the buildings will be dealt with. There is 240,703 square feet in all the buildings they maintain. Under this division are also the street signs. Any street signs in the city are fabricated and installed through this division, and there are 4,243 signs in the city.
The sixth week deals with the vehicle fleet. This division is responsible for the repair and maintenance of all of the vehicles, from administrative cars to fire trucks and ambulances, to police vehicles. There are 210 vehicles to be maintained. Workers in this division do preventive maintenance, oil changes, tires, brakes, and anything else that is required.
“I basically came up with this idea and spent an entire winter designing the program,” said Duncan, who has worked for the city for about 11 1/2 years, ten of which has been as Operations Manager. “We built this program pretty much as a course for young people who love being outdoors, love working and keeping busy,and love learning new skills. At the end of the course these apprentices will have built a pergola at South Fork Park. Last year, they built a pergola in Stringtown Park.”
The pergola is built as the apprentices go through the course. That is why they start with the Transportation division, because that department handles concrete, and if they put the base in for the pergola that first week, it will be cured enough to build on in the coming weeks.
“The project with the pergola is kind of the exam of the course,” explained Duncan. “They use what they learn. As soon as they learn one skill we have them use it when they build the pergola. The only division we don’t use in the pergola is the work with the vehicle fleet, but we use all the other divisions. And in the end we have this wonderful pergola which all the people in the community can enjoy.”
The hours for the program are Monday through Friday, from June 9 through July 25, or they can work Monday through Thursday. They will be paid $17 per hour, and they will work from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a week off for planned vacations, if necessary. Workers have to have a valid driver’s license, and be capable of performing manual labor, as well as being capable of following safety precautions.
Applications are on the website.
Duncan said this is also a chance for people who like the work to basically audition for a position in Public Works, if a position should come open.
“This is not strictly a recruiting tool, but we are looking for people who like the work, and like what we do,” he said. “I have found that working for Florence is very rewarding. They really like when you have ideas that could improve the work, and they encourage their employees to grow and succeed. Working at this summer academy is a chance to see what we do, get training in a lot of jobs, and looking down the road, consider if this is a career path you would like to take. It’s kind of a win/win situation.”
