Category Archives: Public Works
Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet… We’re Hunting Potholes!
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
As we look forward to the sunny days and warmer weather of spring, Old Man Winter leaves us a few reminders of his stay here in Pennsauken. Unfortunately, the groundhog saw its shadow and we’re in for a few more weeks of winter.
To begin, our Township roads have made out fairly well this winter, with very little precipitation and temperatures above freezing and in the 40’s. Only in New Jersey would we experience a 60-degree day on Wednesday and plow-able snowfall the next morning! As I sit down on a cold Saturday morning to compose this article, I think back to my childhood in the late 1980’s, the cartoons that would occupy my weekend and search for a clever title. Elmer Fudd reminds me that, regardless of the mild winter thus far, we are approaching the Department of Public Work’s hunting season… pothole season. No pesky wabbits here… just wild turkeys!
There’s Always Time For Flowers… Chocolate… And Planning
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
In the U.S., 64 percent of men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine’s Day with their sweethearts. Although I will neither confirm nor deny whether or not this fact applies to me, I can report that the Public Works Department is in planning stages for this year’s activities. While our annual budget proposal process has been completed, we turn to the late winter/early springtime projects that are quickly approaching. Inclement weather can keep our crews unable to safely or efficiently operate. The “slow” days after snow has fallen and plowing is complete prevent us from taking a dead tree down or replenishing playground mulch in a park. We use this time to perform preventative maintenance services on our vehicles, equipment, and facilities.
Ushering In The New Year With Hopes For A Mild Winter
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
We awoke on December 15, 2016 to a dusting of snow and some black ice in spots of town. Although plowing operations won’t begin until three to four inches of accumulation, your Department of Public Works has the two-story rock salt storage building filled to the brim and ready for whatever conditions the winter throws our way.
Looking Back At 2016, Looking Ahead To Serving You Better
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
On behalf of the crew of your Public Works Department, I want to begin this article by extending our warmest wishes to our residents, businesses, and their families during this holiday season. It is my experience that family gatherings this time of year lead to a “re-capping” of the past twelve months; remembering those who have passed away, weddings, a birth of a grandchild, perhaps even a summer vacation. As in most businesses, the end of a calendar year is a time where an organization can look back and evaluate its strengths and areas of improvement.
Communicating With Public Works Using Technology
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
There have been great strides in technology over the past 15 years that have impacted how we communicate. In the late 1990’s, I recall my sister having her own phone line in her room for chatting with her girlfriends. The only thing to interrupt that convenience was the dial-up internet service for the sole family computer. Now, we watch YouTube videos of people walking into telephone poles while glued to their smart phones.
Autumn In Pennsauken: Preparing For Leaf Collection
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
I hope everybody is recovering from the humid start that September had. Those that wished for summer to continue had their wishes granted, with temperatures in the mid 90’s and humidity levels high. If you’re like me, I look forward to the cooler temperatures this new season offers with a coffee or glass of wine on the front porch after dinner.
This brings us into our next season: leaf collection. Leaf collection operations generally begin in late October and are completed around the end of December. Every section of town will have leaf pickup at least twice during this time. This is, in addition to the weekly Wednesday “yard debris” pick-up, when Waste Management will pick-up your bagged/bundled items. We ask for your patience while we are working in your neighborhood, as our large equipment could end up blocking parts of the street or intersection.
Recognizing Our Staff During National Public Works Week
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
This year, the week of May 15 is dedicated as “National Public Works Week.” I’d like to quote the American Public Works Association (APWA): “This week is a celebration of the tens of thousands of men and women in North America who provide and maintain the infrastructure and services collectively known as public works. Instituted as a public education campaign by the APWA in 1960, National Public Works Week calls attention to the importance of public works in community life. This week seeks to enhance the prestige of the often-unsung heroes of our society-the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication.”
Spring Cleaning In Pennsauken: Hazardous Waste Collection, Shredding, And More
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
Each year, the County sponsors numerous waste collection events to help its residents properly dispose of various items around our homes, garages, and sheds to protect the environment. It may sound like a nagging chore to do, but the benefit it has on our local bodies of water far outweighs any inconvenience of disposal.
Valentine’s Day At Public Works: Hold The Snow… Take The Chocolates
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
We’ve seen a lot of weather changes in the past two months: 70 degrees on Christmas to frigid days the third week of January. With the looming winter weather bringing us painfully cold wind, we can only dream of the springtime.
Falling Leaves: To Bag Or Not To Bag?
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
At the end of my October article, I asked if the dry weather of summer and September would continue into a dry fall, causing leaves to fall early. Hurricane Joaquin answered that question pretty thoroughly! With the news showing devastating flooding down the Jersey Shore and down the East Coast, Pennsauken was spared major damage. There were a couple calls for fallen trees in streets over that weekend, but nothing compared to that storm on June 23 of this year.
