Council hears Public Works report

Public Works Director Jamie Curreri got the important part out of the way right at the top of his annual report to the City Council at the Jan. 23 meeting.

Public works touches pretty much everything that city residents really care about: Infrastructure, the vehicles used by fire and police personnel, water systems, the sewer, the electrical system. While other names may top each of those departments, when something goes awry, someone from public works is most likely to be the person a resident is going to see handling it.

The best part is that a lot of it is done with outside money that is not a direct part of the city’s budget. For example, much of the cost of repairing and maintaining arterial roads, street lighting and even recreational trails is actually paid for by the Regional Transportation Commission. In fiscal year 2023, a total of 23 projects — ranging from road reconstruction on Industrial Road and in the residential area known as Golf Course Estates to the Veterans Memorial Dog Park to irrigation upgrades at the municipal golf course —were externally funded (i.e., paid for by someone else).

With water conservation being a paramount concern throughout Southern Nevada, which has necessitated some less-than-universally-popular projects, including removal of non-functional turf on some city-owned properties, Curreri was quick to point out that keeping Boulder City “as green as allowable” is a priority.

“We’re currently testing new irrigation controllers,” he noted. “We’ve replaced six master valves and installed new pressure regulators which all give us more management and control over our irrigation systems.”

When it comes to street repair, he said that it gets done fast.

“Anytime I call Tim (Lynch) and his staff, I’m not kidding, they are almost done before I get off the phone,” he said.

Cost savings is another area of pride for Curreri, who pointed to the hiring of an experienced in-house manager to oversee all projects as well as the creation of a designer position for computer-aided design work. He reported that the resulting cost savings just on the road reconstruction in the Golf Course Estates area that came as a result of these two hiring decisions would allow the city to to do repaving around City Hall as well as installing needed upgrades under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“My vision for our team is simple,” he said. “Never be rigid. Stay fluid and organic. Treat everyone how you would want to be treated, with fairness and integrity. Be a good human. Respect each other. Help each other. Love and care for our families, colleagues and our community. Create a work culture that promotes growth, nurtures compassion, understanding and professionalism. Deliver transparency, efficiency and a smile to our community. And work collaboratively with our local funding agencies until they throw me out of their office, which they have done before.”

He said it was simple. Not that it was short.

The next meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Feb. 13.