The Penn Township Department of Public Works is diversified as the web of roadways that transverse the township. From the Native Americans using deer trails to the paved roadways of present day Penn Township, the work has been on going. Major improvements have been characteristic of the Public Works Department throughout the history of Penn Township. Many names have been associated with the excellence in road maintenance that we have been accustomed to, Mowry, Marshall, Callen, Gold, Street and Fleming to name a few. The employees of the Public Works Department are all trained professionals.
Employees are required by law to have CDL licenses and are subjected to random drug and alcohol testing. They operate trucks, highlifts, mowers, graders, wood chipper, chain saws and welders. They are “on call” 24 hours a day and respond to a variety of occurrences. From the snowstorm to the thunderstorm, the Public Works Department is equipped and ready to go. Trees fall down at all hours and during all types of weather conditions, signs (especially STOP signs) are vandalized or run over and need immediate attention, Flooding rains have washed out culvert pipes or immersed roadways, unpredicted snow storms have blanketed the township. All of these and others emergencies are a part of the Public Works employee’s portfolio. Aside from the surprising work that Mother Nature usually provides is the routine maintenance. Equipment has to be attended to on a constant basis. Roads are patched, pipes need replaced and berms need mowed and graded. The rural nature of the township gives the employees a lot of work cutting and maintaining brush and trees. Visibility and clear zones along the roadways are very important.
Unique to Penn Township is the composting facility started by the current public works employees several years ago. Seeing a need for residents to have a place where they can dispose of grass and leaves, the Department went to The State Department of Environmental Protection and received approval to operate a composting facility. Using the cliché ¢ we’ve created a monster” would be appropriate at this time. Composting site has increased in popularity and as required a good deal of time. We still feel it is a great program and intend on continuing.
