City of Blue Springs
Public Works Department

Serving Each Citizen Daily

Unfortunately, it can be common to overlook those who serve our community when their hard work contributes to daily life running smoothly. An efficient and pothole-free driving experience, a safe commute after a snowstorm, a basement free of wastewater backup, superbly clean tap water, and a fleet of reliable police vehicles all have a common source in our community: the City of Blue Springs Public Works Department. There are countless ways that this organization serves each citizen daily, and a wonderful staff of 57 dedicated and skillful individuals who work all hours of the day to ensure operations run properly.

The familiar blue utility trucks, snowplows, dump trucks, and a variety of machinery can be seen in action every day, as the crews of the engineering division, street division, and water/sewer operations are persistently working to maintain and improve our city. In 2015 alone, the City of Blue Springs Public Works Department provided the following services:

• The operations office staff handled 11,703 calls, 1,182 requests for services, and 70,810 work orders.
• The engineering division completed the Wood Chapel Road Phase ll project, reviewed 240 development plans, inspected 9 residential and 26 commercial construction projects, responded to 192 customer service requests, and completed the 2015 street overlay program.
• The street division crews completed 5 storm sewer repairs, swept 700+ lane miles of streets, crack-sealed 36 lane miles of streets, repaired 6,834 potholes, installed 346 street signs, and replaced approximately 8,750 feet of sidewalk.
• The water/sewer operations staff installed 88 new water meters, repaired 161 meters, performed 9,263 line locates, and collected approximately 264,000 water meter readings.
• The sewer collection division cleaned 216,753 feet of sanitary sewers, completed 6 sewer main repairs, and repaired 33 manhole structures.
• The water distribution division performed maintenance on 2,255 valves and 2,490 fire hydrants and repaired 54 water main breaks.
• The Sni-A-Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant treated 1.726 billion gallons of wastewater.
• The fleet maintenance staff performed 2,344 repairs and preventative maintenance activities.
• Collectively the Public Works crews logged 860 hours of snow removal activities.

At the center of the crew performing this impressive amount of work is Operations Manager Jeff Mock. For three decades, he has been dedicated to serving our community as an employee of the City of Blue Springs. Jeff says, “My personal contributions to the organization during my 30 years of service have varied anywhere from a wastewater operator to my current position of Operations Manager, but the common thread is an unwavering philosophy of dedication and loyalty to the residents of Blue Springs and both my supervisors and co-workers in performing my tasks. The service we provide is around the clock and requires personal sacrifice from not only the employees but also their families. Many a Christmas morning or Thanksgiving dinner have been missed due to snow removal activities and water main breaks.”

The Public Works Department takes great pride in what they do for the people of Blue Springs. For Jeff, there is “a sense of ownership in knowing that what you do has an impact on virtually every person in the community in some way or another.” It is his philosophy that providing these city services should not be slow or a waste of tax money. “We constantly strive to deliver these services in a timely and cost effective manner,” he says. “I believe that we as an organization provide an exceptional amount of services to the community for the dollars invested.”

Learn more about the City of Blue Springs Public Works Department here.

Who do you feel has a positive impact on our community in Blue Springs? Nominate an individual or organization to be featured on Local Focus by contacting jaime@anthem-photo.com.