Oak Ridge Public Works has open house Thursday

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department and Public Works Employee Relations Committee (PwERC) have invited residents of Oak Ridge to a Public Works Community Open House and Touch-the-Truck event on Thursday, May 25.

The event will be held in recognition of Public Works Week in the City of Oak Ridge and National Public Works Week (May 21-27). The open house will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex, located at 100 Woodbury Lane.

The purpose is to provide an event at which the community can learn about all the different divisions that make up the Public Works Department, a press release said.

“Public Works is much more than just water and sewer services,” the press release said. “They are, in short, the people who maintain and improve the systems and services vital to the city’s health, safety and comfort. Those systems and public services include, but are not limited to, water distribution, sewer collection, water and wastewater treatment, street, sidewalk, and storm drain repair and maintenance, stormwater management, public building maintenance and management, snow removal, and city fleet maintenance.”

The open house will feature fun and educational activities for kids of all ages, including a Touch-the-Truck event that will give everyone the opportunity to see and touch the different types of vehicles and equipment used to keep the city safe and functioning smoothly, the press release said. Also on the schedule are two local food trucks, Untamed Kitchen and Awad-O-Food, as well as live local music, a bounce house, face painting, give-a-ways, and many other activities.

Long thought of as the silent arm of Public Safety, Public Works will be partnering with the Oak Ridge Police Department and the Oak Ridge Fire Department for this event, the press release said. Sponsors for Public Works Week and the open house include LDA Engineering, Y-12 Federal Credit Union, Stowers, Awad-O-Food, and Untamed Kitchen.

For more information about this event, contact the Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875.