Each Sunday we will feature a project going on within the city, happenings within a department or someone who works hard to provide services to the community. Today we talk to the Street and Sanitation Department Superintendent about the role and responsibilities of the street department.
Most of us think of the seasons as Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. But, if you're a member of the city's street department, the seasons are more often referred to as leaf removal, snow removal, pothole repair and drainage and street repair.
The 43-member street department (there's another 17 employees on the sanitation side, but we'll talk about them in another spotlight), said Street and Sanitation Department Superintendent Randy Reeder, are truly Jacks of all trades.
Presently, they are hip-deep in removing leaves raked to the curb by residents. The city is divided into four zones, northwest, southwest, northeast and southeast. The zones mimic trash pick up routes. Not too long ago, said Reeder, street department workers could pick up leaves in each zone in just a day or two. However, as the city has grown, and depending on how fast the leaves fall each year, it now takes 3 to 5 days to get through each zone, with workers operating 5 vacuum trucks 10 hours each day. The average fall some 300 to 400 loads of leaves are taken to the composting site on the city's north side. The site is operated by the Porter County Solid Waste District, which turns the leaves and in a year, the waste becomes valuable compost.
In addition to leaves, crews pick up limbs brought to the curb by residents during the second, third and fourth weeks of each month. The first week is set aside for bulk trash pick up.
The city's population is near 40,000, which includes some 11,400 residential stops.
Even before the leaf pick-up season is over, said Reeder, street department crews are preparing for snow removing, getting equipment ready for snow plow drivers to hit the 156-miles of streets when snow fall is sufficient enough to call out the crews.
While leaf and snow removal are two primary jobs of the street department, they have a myriad of other responsibilities in the city.
The department is also responsible for maintenance of those 156 miles of city streets, including pothole patching and crack sealing. This past summer, crews also painted fresh lines on 80 miles of city streets.
There is also a drainage crew in the department that assesses storm water inlets and upgrades them when necessary. There are some 3,000 storm water inlets in the city.
Of the 43 street department employees, six are mechanics, devoted to the maintenance of many of the city vehicles, including those with the police, parks, streets and sanitation departments. They don't work on fire department vehicles, said Reeder, because that is specialized equipment.
The department is also responsible for the mowing of public property, said Reeder, including city buildings, parks, police and fire stations and public rights-of-way.
The department also has its own sign shop, said Reeder. Computerized equipment allows the sign shop to make all the city's signage, from street to stop signs, saving taxpayers money.
The department is also home to the city's building maintenance crew, which is responsible for the day-to-day upkeep of city buildings.
The street department at 2303 Hamstrom Road is open to the public during normal business hours five days a week. Residents can pick up compost or drop off bulk items, leaves, grass clippings or limbs. The service is free, but they must get a yard pass when they stop by, showing identification and proof of residency.
"Everything is about customer success. We want to take care of issues, get them resolved and make sure residents are happy," said Reeder, who praised his crews for their hard work and dedication.
Reeder is assisted by assistant superintendent Darren Godby. Crew leaders include: Dan Timmons, sanitation; Dan Malarik, storm water; Don Saunders and Scott Dean, street and Jeff Montrosse, mechanics.
Two clerks, Janet Lyda and Heather Romsos, answer some 1,000 phone calls from residents each month, assisting them and answering questions.
Reeder said, because of the city's growth and increased demands, the department prefers residents email the department with questions and requests at psd@portage-in.gov
The department also maintains its own Facebook page in an effort to communicate with residents. That page can be found at
https://www.facebook.com/Portage-Streets-and-Sanitation-914827975304676
