Ensuring that Porter County residents have access to all they need is a daily goal for Joseph Wiszowaty. As Director of Facilities for Porter County, Wiszowaty leads a dedicated team that works year-round across 26 locations and 16 buildings.
“We maintain the buildings and grounds of all county buildings and property,” said Wiszowaty. “This includes the lawn, snow removal, and interior upkeep.”
The size and scope of the work varies and spans the entire county.
“For example, there is a one-acre property with a pole barn in Wheeler that we maintain, but we also support our partners at the Expo Center,” said Wiszowaty.
This work is so important because Wiszowaty and his colleagues provide all these services in-house. To save taxpayers money, Porter County buildings and grounds are maintained by an internal team.
“Instead of contracting work out and paying almost double for that work, Porter County residents are getting a good bang for their buck here,” said Wiszowaty.
In addition to providing work in-house, the facilities team is constantly assessing and prioritizing projects to be done.
For the facilities department, daily work could include repairing an A/C unit, installing a new roof, updating the HVAC system, or supporting a complete renovation.
“We complete a facilities assessment to help prioritize work – like the administrative building or the juvenile detention center – to see exactly what our current conditions are, what we need to do, and what we need to improve,” said Wiszowaty.
This type of assessment is done in addition to the daily upkeep of all facilities and grounds.
“We have a fantastic staff, including engineers and tradesmen who assess the HVAC, the electrical, and the plumbing,” said Wiszowaty.
Always looking for the best value, Wiszowaty and team work alongside county officials to prioritize renovation and ensure 21st-century needs are met.
“Sometimes, the longer you wait, the worse things get,” said Wiszowaty. “We prioritize what needs to be done and make sure we don’t get to a point where you're putting more money into mowers or equipment than they're worth.”
All of this is done with a dedicated group of 16 year-round and three seasonal employees.
“We have an awesome team,” said Wiszowaty. “Some of them have been here for quite some time, and they have a lot of institutional knowledge as well.”
The facilities team will be assisting on several large upcoming projects including a complete makeover of the highway department building, a renovation of the Memorial Opera House, and an expansion of the health department, to name a few.
“The highway department work will include building a new garage and a new office,” said Wiszowaty. “The Memorial Opera House project is starting this month.”
Wiszowaty hopes that all Porter County residents know this work is always done with care.
“Our staff are also Porter County residents,” said Wiszowaty. “These are dedicated individuals who come to work with a very good work ethic and focus on getting stuff done.”
To learn more about Porter County Government, please visit porterco.org.
