Public Works are Everywhere You Look

City of Sanford's Public Works and Utilities Department

PUBLIC WORKS

Are Everywhere You Look

BY LISA HOLDER, MPA

A public works and utilities department as defined by the American Public Works Association is “the combination of physical assets, management practices, policies, and personnel necessary for the government to provide and sustain structures and services essential to the welfare and acceptable quality of life for its citizens.”

Imagine a day without safe drinking water or properly operating sanitary sewers, safe driving roads, proper working traffic lights, streetlights, and sidewalks. All these are critical assets and necessities in modern society. Sunup to sundown the goal each day for the Public Works and Utilities Department is to enhance the quality of life of our customers and visitors by providing exceptional public services through our knowledgeable and dedicated staff.

Our crews operate water and sewer treatment plants, maintain the city’s fleet of vehicles, including every police car and fire truck, oversee the stormwater management system, repair, and clean Sanford’s streets and roads, and ensure the timely pickup of garbage and recycling collection for over 15,000 residential homes. Public Works and Utilities repair and support the water distribution and sewer collection system, maintain all city facilities including electric work, as well as streetlight replacements, etc. Their work is demanding, far-reaching, and essential.

The Public Works and Utilities budget is 75% of the city’s overall budget and includes 250 employees. The infrastructure referenced costs millions of dollars; therefore, expert mainte-

Above, l-r: Jeff Davis, Bill Marcous, Cedric Coleman, Russ Sheibenberger, Bilal Iftikhar, and Pete Wilson

Right: Public Works and Utilites Director Bilal Iftikhar

nance and care by public works and utilities professionals are critical.

The Public Works and Utilities Department also manages city capital projects including streetscapes that transform our growing and dynamic city. The city overall, and especially engineers in the Public Works and Utilities Department work closely with many state agencies such as the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to assure the city meets strict regulations and to ensure a quality outcome.

Bilal Iftikhar, Public Works and Utilities Director, said, “Most people take it for granted that clean water will appear when they turn on their faucets, toilets flush with the simple turn of a lever, recycled water turns into reclaimed water, trash will be picked up on time, and roads, sidewalks, trails, and public facilities will be properly maintained. The City of Sanford’s Public Works and Utilities Infrastructure would not be possible without dedicated employees. These operations are vital for the safety, health, and high quality of life we enjoy in our rapidly growing community. I would like to thank our Public Works and Utilities employees for the exemplary effort put forth by each and every one of them for the work performed before, during, and after Hurricane Ian, an extraordinary and unprecedented event.”

Public Works and Utilities employees are known to be the first ones in and the last ones out in every scenario. This phrase demonstrates the monumental job required to restore a city the size of Sanford, which is 26 square miles, back to pre-storm conditions for every family and household.

The force of Hurricane Ian’s winds and rains wreaked havoc on our historic city. On the job 24/7, it was the responsibility of Public Works and Utilities crews to work tirelessly each and every day during the city’s recovery to bring stability and normalcy back to our community, working alongside contractors to assist with the magnitude of storm debris pickup. To this day, they continue to be compassionate, at-theready, and resilient in this effort, knowing that our residents rely on them. From streetlight, repairs to filling potholes, to utilities customer service representatives, and everything in between, the women and men of this city department are dedicated to providing the utmost quality of service and are proud to serve you and your families each and every day. n

Lisa Holder is the Chief Communications & Cultural Affairs Administrator for the City of Sanford. Lisa is a Founding Board Member for the Florida League of Cities Municipal Communicators Association. She holds a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelors of Science in Communications and is a Navy Veteran.