On April 18, 2020 our City Manager published a great blog titled The People Out Front And The People Behind The Scenes. The blog emphasized that City staff continue to be here for you. In extension of that I want to share a recent example of that with you.
The City of Auburn Hills had a valve with deteriorated bonnet bolts and started to give way late Tuesday night. An on-call Sergeant from the Auburn Hills Police Department was driving by and saw the leak running down the sidewalk near Steak ‘n Shake on Great Lakes Crossing Drive. They then reached out to the Department of Public Works and a four member team immediately responded to resolve the challenge.
Here in Auburn Hills, the Department of Public Works is made up of six divisions including Fleet & Roads, Municipal Properties (Facilities & Grounds), and Public Utilities (Sewer & Water). The City’s Mission is to be stewards for the community through a connected, transparent, and efficient government; this is what the Department of Public Works (DPW) does. The City’s Values are Attentive Service, Diversity, Excellence, Fiscal Responsibility, Humility, and Safety; this is how the DPW provides services. The City’s Vision is Auburn Hills will be a community with the heart of a small town that operates with the excellence of a world class city; this is why the DPW does what we do.
Some highlights regarding the scope of services managed and maintained include:
- Facilities is responsible for the maintenance and management of nearly 40 structures, many of which are occupied. Facilities is responsible for maintaining over 1,400 street and parking lot lights and assisting with Miss Dig staking.
- Fleet is also responsible for the maintenance and management of more than 125 fleet units and over 150 pieces of equipment.
- Grounds is responsible for the maintenance and management of over 460 acres of City lands. That includes all City parks and right-of-way, trees, and irrigation. Additionally, Grounds leads in supporting the operations of most City events.
- Roads is responsible for the maintenance and management of more than 90 miles of roadway, over 120 miles of pathway, nearly 225 miles of storm mains, more than 2,750 catch basins, and all City roadway and related signs.
- Public Utilities is responsible for over 180 miles of water main, nearly 120 miles of sewer main, more than 2,600 water system valves, 2,500 plus hydrants, over 2,900 sewer manholes, four sanitary sewer lift stations, ten pressure reducing valves, a booster station, and a water tower. Additionally, Utilities is responsible for the City’s Cross Connection Control Program, construction related inspections for water and sewer services, and metering water usage for utility billing.
We are here for you. Not only will we assist with those items mentioned above, but so much more. While our offices remain closed at the Department of Public Works, you may still contact us at our main building phone number during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / Monday – Friday). For the Department of Public Works, that number is 248.391.3777. The department can also be reached at dpw@auburnhills.org, which is monitored regularly.
BE PATIENT • BE KIND • BE UNITED • BE WELL
And most of all, TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.
Ron Melchert, Director of Public Works
Inside Auburn Hills 