Our Public Works

Imagine this: it's about 10 degrees out... the wind chill is around 15 degrees below zero... and you get a call at 11 p.m.; there is a water main break in the Village, and it has to be plugged NOW. What is a labor intensive, dirty, and demanding job is now about, say, 216 times worse with the weather being what it is.

Would you be willing to do this? I'm not sure I could be paid enough to do it. I've witnessed our Public Works guys take care of a water main break, but it was in the summer time. Even then, I was looking at them, and thinking, "Thank God we have these dudes."

We're talking about taking a backhoe, digging a hole to find the water main break, jumping into the hole then filled with water; and either fitting a sleeve over that break, or replacing a section of water main... and as quickly as you can... it's like surgery, it really is.

This is just ONE job that the Public Works guys are called on to do, at any hour of the day or night. Over these past few years, we've replaced approximately 2,000 ft. of water main. Much of it was done by our workers, at an estimated savings of $100,000.00 to the Village. We installed 9 new valves in the Northern section of the Village, which will allow (and HAS already allowed) us to replace parts of a water main without having to shut down water to everyone.

Supt. Bob Roth has supervised a resurgence of Public Works infrastructure improvements like we've never seen before. And, we're committed to continuing this. Again, a tip of the hat to everyone in our Public Works Department... you all do a grand job, and it is very much appreciated.