Coral Springs Celebrates Public Works Week with Creative Activities
Published on June 13, 2023
From maneuvering an excavator to play basketball, to welcoming a new member of the vehicular family, and displaying their public works pride, the Coral Springs Public Works Department celebrated Public Works Week, recognized from Sunday, May 21 to Saturday, May 27, with a full slate of activities and special initiatives.
Public Works Week Recognition
The City of Coral Springs Public Works Department was formally recognized by the City Commission at their monthly Commission Meeting held Wednesday, May 17. Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook thanked the team for their work “behind the scenes” and Coral Springs Public Works Director John Norris spoke about the many responsibilities of the department and highlighted their many duties.
Mark Collins, President-Elect for the American Public Works Association (APWA) Florida Chapter, also attended and shared praise for the team.
“I can’t say enough good things about public works,” Collins said. “To me, public works has always been what I consider to be the backbone of the city; they are what keeps it going.”
More than 40 members of the city’s Public Works Department attended the meeting where they displayed a banner that read “I heart Public Works.” The department received a certificate and posed for a photo that was later shared on the city’s social media accounts.
Backhoe ROADeo
Excavators shooting hoops or backhoes playing ring toss may not be an everyday sight for most, but for the Coral Springs Public Works Department, it’s all in a day’s fun under the sun.
The department hosted the Backhoe ROADeo Skills Competition on Wednesday, May 24 at the newly opened Coral Springs Public Works/Public Safety Complex. The annual event allows public works professionals to take part in a display of skills operating mini excavators and backhoes to perform games and challenges within a set amount of time. Nearly 225 attendees watched as contestants competed in games such as Hard Hat Challenge, “Lord of the Rings” ring toss, “Perfection” shape matching, Mini Golf, and “Hoops” basketball.
Twenty-five public works professionals took part in the competition with prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. Trophies were sponsored by APWA. Sunbelt was also an event sponsor. In addition to Coral Springs, competitors from neighboring municipalities also took part in the event. Municipalities represented included Davie, Deerfield Beach, Cooper City, Lauderhill, Coconut Creek, and Tamarac.
The event also included a picnic-style lunch, music, raffles, and giveaways for attendees. A waste station, coordinated by the Coral Springs Public Works Department, was also set up on site to encourage proper disposal of waste. Compostable materials plates, napkins, and utensils were used, and a composting and recycling bins were available. The waste station supports the city’s recently implemented sustainability action plan to be a more environmentally friendly community.
Street Sweeper Naming Competition
Quicker than quick, faster than fast. . .The City of Coral Springs recently held a contest to allow the public to name its newly purchased street sweeper.
After conducting a “March Madness,” bracket-style poll on city social media accounts, the community, appropriately, decided on a kids’ race car movie-inspired name: “Lightning McClean.” More than 60 names were submitted as part of the contest, which was conducted by the Coral Springs Communications and Marketing Department in partnership with Public Works. The city creatively announced the winning name to the community during Public Works Week. Other name options included “Sweep Caroline,” “Sir Sweepenstein,” and “Broomba 2000.”
With the addition of the new vehicle, city street sweeping will now be managed in-house, as part of the Coral Springs Public Works Department, replacing the outside contracted service that was previously used. It’s believed that transitioning this to a city-run operation will allow for an improved quality of service reaching more roads and neighborhoods. The primary purpose of the vehicle is to help keep debris from blocking city drains, which, in turn, could cause flooding.