Wabasha celebrates “People, Purpose, Presence” for National Public Works Week

The City of Wabasha is celebrating National Public Works week, with this year’s theme was “People, Purpose, Presence,” which represents three cornerstone ideas that motivate Wabasha’s seven Public Works professionals, Tony Johnson, Pat Mueller, Riley Costello, Matt Wobbe, Brandon Huth, Steve Henthorn, and Zach McNallan. Collectively they are responsible for maintaining miles of streets, water and sewer infrastructure, acres of parks, bike paths, as well as processing wastewater and delivering clean water to homes and businesses.

“ The work we accomplish every day benefits the community directly, the community that I live in and where my wife and I are raising our son,” said Riley Costello, Assistant Public Works Director.

Meeting the needs of people is what gives Public Works its sense of purpose.

“Knowing that what I do as an employee benefits not only the individual citizens of Wabasha, but the community and visitors as a whole is a great feeling,” said Matt Wobbe, Public Works Technician.

Pat Mueller, who oversees the city’s water and wastewater services, enjoys being able to educate Wabasha residents about how this complex system works, “ I help people understand that we provide 1000 gallons of clean water for about $3 through a system of wells, towers, pumps. That’s a pretty good deal, if you think about how much you pay for a bottle of water a Kwik Trip. Additionally, when we are discharging our wastewater, we are exceeding all the state performance standards. That’s a good feeling.”

Often, Wabasha’s Public Works professionals will never meet those whose lives are impacted by their work because when things are going right, no one knows that public works is there.

“Knowing I am helping people get to where they need to be on the road during the winter safely, is a satisfying part of my job,” said Brandon Huth, Public Works Technician.

Costello adds that the department keeps the city’s critical infrastructure running on a constant basis behind the scenes. “ People might not realize that we always have a guy on call 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. We have equipment that goes down, sewer or water alarms that go off, trees that fall over and block roadways, trash cans to empty, sinkholes in roadways, and more.”

The Wabasha Public Works Department would not be successful maintaining all this infrastructure without the high level of teamwork that they exhibit on a daily basis.

“ I am thankful to work with a great Public Works crew who is willing to go the distance to get the job done- whether its being on call, coming in on the weekend to clear a road after a snowstorm, or removing a tree off the road at 3am… When we are needed, we are there,” said Tony Johnson, Public Works Director.

Zach McNallan, Public Works Technician, adds, “We have a great group to work with that has many different skills to get the job done.”

From the moment we wake up and take a shower, flush the toilet, drive on the road, go out and enjoy a park, the Wabasha Public Works Department impacts the lives of Wabasha residents, visitors, and businesses. In recognition of Public Works week, please thank our Public Works team members for keeping Wabasha safe and beautiful.