Public Works Department

The Public Works Department actually consists of three departments in one; the Street Department, the Water & Sewer Maintenance Department and the Sanitation Department.

There are four (4) employees in the Street Department who do all manor of work from wood chipping, grass cutting, leaf pickup, trash pickup, white goods metal pickup, read 3,000 electric and water meters monthly, street sign maintenance, sidewalk weed control, maintenance of Town buildings and grounds, flower beds, bushhog roads and right-of-ways, do cemetery sales and maintenance, litter pickup, snow removal, ice emergencies and traffic control, assist recycling and at the Baird House & Transportation Museum they maintain the grounds and offer assistance, when needed, in addition to helping the Water & Sewer Maintenance Department, when needed or for emergencies. They are also on 24 hour call-back for Town emergencies.

The Water & Sewer Maintenance Department generally consists of a four (4) man crew and maintain over 52 miles of sewer lines, 17 miles of forced main sewer line and 56 miles of water lines both in Town and County; maintain, repair or replace over 400 fire hydrants located in Town and the County; they also read 3,000 water and electric meters monthly, change out about 20 water meters monthly. They also do heavy equipment work, repair water breaks and sewer blockages, maintain 20 sewage pumping stations located in various parts of Town, operate a preventive maintenance program where manholes and sewage lines are physically looked at, and clean over 5 miles of sewer lines each year; they assist the Street Department when needed and also cut grass around pump stations and right-of-ways and also assist in cemetery maintenance and marking off grave plots. They also locate underground water and sewer lines in over 1,000 requests each year for contractors and are also on call 24 hours a day. The staff also assists in sanitation work as needed. Total Public Works experience with the Town totals over 88 years.

Waste Collection

Garbage pickup is on Monday and Tuesday starting at 6:00 a.m. Recycling is picked up on Thursday and Friday also at 6:00 a.m. Be sure to have these items out by 6:00 a.m.

Grass clippings and bush trimmings should be placed in bags or boxes and put at the street/curb by 6:00 a.m. on Thursday mornings for pickup. Do not overstuff the bags or boxes to prevent them from tearing during pickup. The maximum weight should not be over 30 pounds to prevent injury to workers.

Leaf season begins 2nd Monday in November and last until the last day of March. Be sure to rake leaves to the curb and do not place any items on the pile other than leaves. Pickup will be done on a regular schedule so the whole Town can be evenly run about once a week. Please have patience; our driver has over 20 years experience picking up leaves. If you would like leaves for your garden, please call the Public Works to arrange delivery at 396-2989.

Trash day is every Thursday. Place non-garbage, non-recycling and non-chipping items, such as old couches, beds, chairs and such at the street/curb no later than 6:00 a.m. for regular pickup. If you are cleaning out a house, basement or garage of a residential nature, we have a limited number of residential dumpsters available. Please call the Public Works or City Hall (396-3131) and leave your name and number.

Scrap metal and white goods to be collected must be placed at the curb by 6:00 a.m. the first Friday of each month. Scrap metal must be picked up separately from other trash. White goods can include discarded stoves, washers, dryers, water heaters and refrigerators.

Tree limbs should be stacked in manageable piles with the cut end of the limb at the curb and the leaves toward the house. The chipper can only accommodate up to 4� diameter limbs. Limbs should be no longer than six feet so employees can handle them safely. Wood debris and boards must have all metal and nails removed for safety reasons. Chipping is done on a regular basis and will be picked up if placed properly. Individuals using professional tree services for trimming are advised to have the tree service take care of your limbs for faster service.

Annual Reports
The following Annual Reports are available for viewing in PDF format:

Standard Specs
The following specs are available for viewing in PDF format:

Employee Directory

Clint Bumgarner	Street Department
Rick Carpenter	Water & Sewer Maint.
Steve Cutshall	Heavy Equipment Operator
Bill Hamilton	Director
Allen Spencer	Crew Leader - Street
Daryl Setzer	Street Department
Roger Sigmon	Street Department
Jimmy Ward	Street Department
Don Turnmire	Water & Sewer Maint.

We are also very fortunate to be assisted by our retired group of part-time workers; Ray Keller with over 25 years experience, Nick Poe with over 10 years experience and Herb Broyhill with over 20 years Public Works experience.

Recycling News of Interest

Town citizens have improved recycling participation rates, jumping from a 72% average in 2009 to a 77% average in 2010. As usual, participation rates are noticeably higher in the warmer months. Recycling is important year round, so let�s shoot for another big jump in 2011!