Tag Archives: trucks

Kentwood, Wyoming show off their big trucks during Public Works open houses

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By Tessa Schulz
WKTV Contributor

You might be able to climb into this truck during the Wyoming Department of Public Works’ open house on Monday, May 15. (WKTV/Tessa Schulz)

Have you ever looked outside on a snowy day, sipping a hot chocolate while flurries blow through the frosty air? On wintry days plow trucks keep us safe by providing salt for the streets and scraping snow from the roads.

The Public Works team is here for many seasons, whether it is the icy winter, leafy fall, or road construction.

 

The Wyoming Department of Public Works is hosting an open house this Monday, May 15, from 5-8 p.m. at the Public Works Facility located at 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW to educate the community on who they are and what they do.

The Kentwood Department of Public Works will be hosting its public works open house Thursday, May 18, 4-7 p.m. at the Kentwood Department of Public Works facility, 5068 Breton Ave. SE. The event is a joint venture with th eKent County

Both events are an early celebration of Public Works Week, May 21-27, which celebrates how public works connects a community through service and infrastructure.

Public Work professionals include engineers, public service, traffic, and fleet service workers. The Kentwood and Wyoming teams provide construction, maintenance, and repairs for streets, sidewalks, waterlines, sewer systems, traffic signs, city vehicles, and equipment.

During the events, community members will meet the public works team, check out demonstrations and climb into a public works vehicle.

Wyoming Public Works Day

“It’s a fun way to show off what we do for the city,” said Jay VanDyke, Wyoming Public Works assistant director. “It’s a great way for the community to come and meet the team who largely works behind the scenes. It’s a hands-on learning opportunity. It has something for every age. Many people never really grow tired of being fascinated by some of this larger equipment.”

The Wyoming open house will feature equipment, including a hydro excavator, dump truck, salt truck, boom truck, and street sweeper. In addition, guests may play games (hammer toss or Plinko) to win prizes or explore booths and displays, including the sewer jet flusher.

The Wyoming open house will serve hot dogs, chips, popsicles, and refreshments. In previous years, several hundred residents attended the city’s open houses.

“We hope that people walk away with a better understanding of the various responsibilities we have at the Public Works Department and the services we provide,” VanDyke said. “Some of these services include providing everyone clean, safe drinking water and a reliable, efficient sewer system. The nice thing about a reliable, efficient sewer system is if you never have to think about it, it’s working great!”

Kentwood Public Works Day

The Kentwood event will have hands-on activities, maintenance and repair demonstrations, and giveaways. All guests may take home free red maple and river birch tree seedlings. In addition, the event will have complimentary food and refreshments.

The Kentwood Department of Public Works will host an open house with the Kent County Road Commission on Thursday, May 18. (Supplied)

Semifinalists and finalists of the Work Zone Safety Poster competition will be recognized at 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by Kent County Road Commission and public works agencies throughout Kent County, the poster contest invited third-graders 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 Kentwood Department of Public Works supports many aspects of our residents’ daily lives, from plowing roads to maintaining trails to repairing public safety vehicles,” Public Works Director Chad Griffin said. “We’re looking forward to connecting with the community to share more about what we do and display some of the equipment we use to get the job done.”

The Kent County Road Commission will also have team members and equipment on-site to share more about the department’s role in the community.

“Our team works collaboratively with public works departments throughout the county to serve residents by keeping roads safe,” said Steve Warren, managing director of the Kent County Road Commission. “We are excited to connect with community members and share more about our dedication to maintaining public infrastructure.”

 

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 parks and grounds, buildings and 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.

Snapshots: Things to do this weekend

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Try to be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.

Poet Maya Angelou


By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

We Like Big Trucks

The City of Wyoming had its Fleets through the Streets earlier this week and the City of Kentwood will have its this Saturday. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. on the western border of the city near the intersection of Division Avenue and Maplelawn Street, and travel toward the eastern border of the city, ending around 11 a.m. near the intersection of Burton Street and Forest Meadows Court. For a complete map of the parade, visit the city website here.

Travel at Your Own Pace

Muskegon’s Lakeshore Museum recently opened “Turtle Travels,” a fun-filled, interactive exhibit that gives visitors a turtle’s-eye view of life in the “slow lane.” Once you step onto the giant board game, follow the instructions and you’ll be detoured to interactive games. Find out what it’s like for a turtle trying to cross a road or traverse changing habitats. Be a turtle tracker and see how real field biologists track animals in the wild. There are lots of photo opportunities and fun turtle facts. The exhibit is free to Muskegon County residents and $5 for non-Muskegon County residents. The museum is located at 430 W. Clay Ave in Muskegon.

Catch the Boys of Summer

The West Michigan Whitecaps now play at the newly named LMCU Ballpark. (Supplied/West Michigan Whitecaps)

With limited number of tickets, now is a good time to snap up some for next week when the Whitecaps return home to play against the Lake County Captains. Themes for next week include a 70s night on May 25, Silver Slugger on May 26, Thrifty Thursday on May 27, and Princess Weekend May 28-29.

Grand Rapids could have been the capital

When Michigan was a young state, its 1835 constitution stated Detroit could be its capitol until 1847. When 1847 came around, communities outside of the Detroit area were not happy with the amount of power that Detroit had and wanted the capitol moved. There was much debate on where with Grand Rapids being a contender but eventually it was decided to make the “hole in the woods,” known as the Township of Lansing, the state capitol.

Big trucks, free hot dogs: It’s Wyoming’s annual Public Works Day event

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Students get up close to check out the trucks during Wyoming’s Department of Public Works open house

 

 

 

By Allison Biss

WKTV Editorial Assistant

 

The City of Wyoming is celebrating National Public Works Week once again on Monday, May 21, at the Wyoming Public Works Department, 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW. The event that attracts more than 1,500 visitors gives the public the chance to learn about the Public Works Department and its services, meet community members and much more.

 

“This is a great time for us to show them who we are and what we do in the community and how we can make a better community,” said Carlos Ochoa, a Wyoming Department of Public Works employee.

 

From 5-8 p.m., staff will be present to talk to visitors about the work they do for the community as well as show off various pieces of equipment that they use. For the children, the equipment on display is the highlight of the event.

Public Works employee Carlos Ochoa shows off one of the trucks that collects leaves.

 

“Kids get to sit in a backhoe or a loader, sit in a street sweeper,” said Wyoming Department of Public Works Assistant Director Aaron Vis. “The weather is always good every year and of course, there is free food – free hot dogs, free drinks, free chips so I think that’s what brings people out.”

 

Besides the big trucks and hot dogs, residents can enjoy learning about those who help shape and maintain their community. This event is not only enjoyable by community members, but by public works staff as well.

 

“Oh, I love seeing the citizens,” said Public Works employee Jerry West. “We actually get to work with people from different departments too, which is fun. We don’t get to see each other all the time so yeah, it’s a blast to see the citizens, just let them know what we do and how we tick.”

 

“It’s a great event for the public to get to see what goes on in the city and what we do,”  said Wyoming Mayor ProTem Sam Bolt.

 

For public works employees, this event is not just about displaying their work within the community.

 

“We reach a lot of people,” Vis said. “We have 72,000 customers in our city so for us to get some of them in every year and take a look at what we do, we appreciate it. It’s our way of saying thank you back to the community.”

 

National Public Works Week is May 20-26 and is celebrated by many communities across the country.

Wyoming Department of Public Works open house is set for Monday, May 21.