What is Public Works

Connie Hartline

What IsPublic Works?

?What IsPublic Works?

Connie Hartline

What Is Public Works?Connie HartlinePublications ManagerAmerican Public Works Association

ISBN: 978-1-60675-009-4

American Public Works Association2345 Grand Blvd., Ste. 700Kansas City, MO 64108-2625

©American Public Works Association, March 2009

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Michael J. AdamsPublic Works DirectorSweet Home, Oregon

Mary Anderson Director of Public WorksHighland Park, Illinois

Kurt BlomquistPublic Works DirectorKeene, New Hampshire

Robert D. BugherExecutive Director EmeritusAmerican Public Works AssociationScottsdale, Arizona

Bill FitzgeraldBoard of Public Works SuperintendentFairhaven, Massachusetts

Larry W. Frevert, P.E.Vice President & National Program Director of Public WorksHDR, Inc.Kansas City, Missouri

Len GoodwinAssistant Director of Public WorksSpringfield, Oregon

Dr. Neil Grigg, P.E.Professor, Dept. of Civil EngineeringColorado State University

Fort Collins, Colorado

Robert KoppDirector of Public WorksCarrollton, Texas

Bob Kuhn, P.E.Director of Public WorksMuskegon, Michigan

Larry LuxPresidentLux Advisors, Ltd.Plainfield, Illinois

Al MabroukInfrastructure Unit ManagerAMEC InfrastructureSparks, Nevada

Fred MullardPublic Works DirectorVillage of Lake in the Hills, Illinois

Carl F. Peter, P.E.Director of Public Works & Environmental ServicesDeerfield Beach, Florida

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the assistance of the following people in formulating a definition of public works.

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What Is Public Works?

Most of us can probably name some of the great public works proj-ects of history without too much effort: the Great Wall of China…the Roman Roads and Aqueducts…the Pyramids of Egypt…the Hoover Dam…the Tennessee Valley Authority…the Lincoln Tunnel…the St. Lawrence Seaway...the Interstate Highway System…the Alas-kan Pipeline…the Boston Big Dig.

On the other hand, if we think of public works projects as making life easier or more convenient, or as improving the quality of life, we might not think to put some of those projects on our list at all. How should we categorize the projects? What qualifies any project as “public works”?

Defining the Indefinable!Trying to define public works can be very much like the ancient folk tale from India, “The Blind Men and the Elephant.” It tells the story of six blind men who have repeatedly argued about what an elephant must be like. Weary townsfolk seek to end the constant bickering by taking the men to “see” an elephant for the first time.

One man touches the elephant’s side and declares that an elephant must be like a wall. The second man, fingering the elephant’s tusk, likens the animal to a spear. The third man feels the squirming trunk and announces that an elephant is like a snake.

The fourth man, who has his hand on one of the elephant’s enor-mous legs, says the elephant is like a tree. With his hand exploring the elephant’s ear, the fifth man exclaims that the beast must be like a fan or even a magic carpet. But the last man, grasping the tail, proclaims that an elephant must surely be like a rope.

Of course, from his own limited perspective, each man had a portion of the truth, but none could perceive the elephant in its totality.

So it is with finding a definition for public works. To a certain extent, the scope of public works is so varied that it is indefinable—truly incapable of being precisely described or analyzed. Like the blind men, we can describe pieces of it, but trying to pin it down with one description is not only difficult but also inadequate.

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The 2005 edition of the New Oxford American Dictionary defines pub-lic works as: “the work of building such things as roads, schools, and reservoirs, carried out by the government for the community.”

In its most succinct comment on the subject, Wikipedia, the Inter-net’s “Free Encyclopedia,” defines public works as “the construction or engineering projects carried out by the state on behalf of the com-munity.” In the overview section, Wikipedia describes public works as “a concept in economics and politics” that “can include such things as: mines, schools, hospitals, water purification and sewage treatment centers.” However, anyone involved with public works knows that these pieces are a small selection of the many functions and facilities we collectively consider public works.

The 2002 Census of Governments, from the U.S. Census Bureau, reported a total of 19,429 active municipal governments (cities, boroughs, towns, and villages) in the United States. Two hundred forty-one of those jurisdictions had populations of 100,000 or more, while 9,361 were at the other end of the spectrum with populations of less than 1,000. In each community, whatever its size, there are needs common to all human beings that must be met through the provision of public works services. But, those services may not be identified and delivered in the same way, or to the same level, from one community to the next.

Most often to identify those needs, the American Public Works As-sociation (APWA) has used the definition of public works proffered by the association’s founder and first executive director, Donald C. Stone:

The physical structures and facilities developed or acquired by public agencies to house governmental functions and provide water, waste disposal, power, transportation, and similar services to facili-tate the achievement of common social and economic objectives.

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The Foundation of CivilizationThink of those common needs as foundational building blocks of civilization. Some communities fulfill the needs of their constitu-ents with what, virtually, may be no more than a set of “Baby’s First Blocks.” Other communities, with greater resources and a higher lev-el of need, may have the equivalent of Lincoln Logs or sophisticated packs of Legos at their disposal. And a fortunate few communities have access to massive resources on a footing with the 3,200-piece dream set of Uberstix.

The different sets of building blocks are analogous to the hierarchy of basic human needs, and each governmental unit provides services to meet the needs according to the degree of their importance and the amount of resources available. Primary needs—like the need for clean water, roads, and waste disposal—are met first, and services to fulfill less crucial needs—like a playground or even mass transportation in some places—are provided afterward when possible.

In the real world there is no one, ideal structure for a public works operation. Even though some public works services are considered “must haves” in every community, they are not necessarily readily identified on a city organizational chart. In fact, some municipalities may not even have a department named public works.

The following chart is the result of a quick, and very non-scientific search of municipal sites on the Internet. It is arranged according to population categories and reveals a wide scope of organizational constructs for providing public works services.

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Under 50,000

Emporia, KS Public Services Department•CoversfromAdministrationtothe

Emporia ZooDepartment of Public Works •SpecifiesresponsibilitiesforStreet,

Sewer, Water, SigningStreet Department•UndergroundUtilities•WaterTreatmentPlant•WastewaterTreatment•TransferStationRecyclingCenter•Sanitation•Airport•Engineering

Bangor, ME Public Works•Electrical•Forestry•Cemetery•Highway•Recycling•SanitationPublic Works Directors & Managers

Contact List includes:•Engineering•Construction&Maintenance•TrafficOperations•Lakes&Stormwater•FacilitiesManagement•FleetManagement•SolidWaste

Kingsport, TNPublic Works•Engineering•Streets&Sanitation•Water•Sewer•Traffic

Under 100,000

Hammond, INBoard of Public Works & Safety•Controlofpublicright-of-way(includes

digging requests, cable, street & alley closures, street solicitations, requests for street signs)

•Exclusivecontroloverallmattersandproperty dealing with police, fire, transit

•Contractingarmofexecutivebranch(all purchasing for public works, street projects, gasoline & vehicles)

•Appealpanelforbuildingcodes,business licenses, dangerous dogs designations by animal control)

Building DepartmentCity EngineerEnvironmental ManagementParks and RecreationPlanning and DevelopmentRecycling DepartmentSanitary DistrictSanitation DepartmentSewer DepartmentStreets DepartmentTransit DepartmentWater Department

Boulder, COPublic Works Department•Transportation•Utilities•Facilities&AssetManagement•FleetServices•Jointlyoversees:Work,Planning&

Development Services groups

Columbia, MOPublic Works Department•AdministrationAirport•BuildingMaintenance•Transit&Para-Transit:BusServices•Engineering•FleetOperations•ParkingUtility•GetAboutColumbia:Non-motorized

Transportation Pilot Program•ProtectiveInspection•PublicWorksVolunteerProgram•SewerUtility•SolidWasteManagement•StormwaterManagement•Streets&SidewalksMaintenance•Traffic

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Palm Bay, FLPublic Works Department•Administration•CapitalImprovements/Engineering•R-O-WServices•AdministrativeServices•Maintenance&Construction•TrafficOperations•FleetServices

Under 500,000Denver, COPublic Works Department•Finance&Administration

1. Contracts2. Finance3. Fleet Maintenance4. Human Resources5. Policy & Planning6. Wastewater Customer Services

•Engineering1. Capital Projects2. Development Engineering Services3. Construction Engineering4. R-O-W Enforcement (Parking)5. Permitting6. Engineering7. Traffic Engineering Services

•Operations1. Solid Waste Management2. Street Maintenance3. Wastewater Operations

Oakland, CAPublic Works Agency•Administration

1. Public Works Call Center2. Fiscal Services3. Human Resources4. Training & Safety Coordination

•Infrastructure&Operations1. Electrical Services & Traffic

Maintenance2. Equipment Services3. Infrastructure Maintenance

•Facilities&Environment1. Environmental Services2. Facilities Servcies3. Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful4. Park & Building Services

Tempe, AZPublic Works Department•Engineering

1. Transportation2. Transit3. Light Rail4.Trash/Recycling5. Street Maintenance6. Traffic Operations

•Internalfunctionsincludecustodial,fleet and facilities management

Under 1,000,000

Phoenix, AZPublic Works Department•PersonnelServices•AdministrativeServices•EquipmentManagement

1. Equipment Maintenance2. Fleet Operations3. Auto Stores Section4. Fleet Control

•MetroFacilities&EnergyManagementDivision

•SolidWasteDisposal1. Engineering2. Solid Waste Management Facility3.Inspections/Maintenance4. Skunk Creek Landfill

•SolidWasteFieldServices1. Operations Management2. Contracts Administration &

Education

Boston, MAPublic Works Department•Permits&Applications•Sanitation•Recycling•StreetLighting•StreetReconstruction•StreetMaintenance&Cleaning•BridgeMaintenance•PublicImprovementComm.•SnowOperations•EmergencyStormCenter•ResidentialTrash&Recycling•HazardousWasteDrop-Off

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Under 1,000,000 (continued)

Milwaukee, WICommissioner of Public Works•Operations•WaterWorks•InfrastructureServices(Sharedwith

City Engineer)•AdministrativeServices•BoardofAssessment•BoardofDeferredAssessment

Charleston, SCDepartment of Public Service•TechnicalDivisions

1. Building Inspections2. Engineering (enforce building

codes, develop building & utility construction standards)

•OperationalDivisions1.Road/SidewalkMaintenance2. Storm Drainage & Flood Control3. Garbage & Trash Collection4. Street Sweeping5. Environmental Code Enforcement

Over 1,000,000Chicago, IL(No Public Works or Public Services

Department Listed)Animal Care & ControlAviationBuildingsEnvironmentFleet ManagementGeneral ServicesGeographic Information SystemsPlanning & DevelopmentStreets & SanitationTransportationWater Management Zoning

Houston, TXDepartment of Public Works &

Engineering •Engineering&Construction•Planning&DevelopmentServices•PublicUtilities•ResourceManagement•R-O-WandFleetMaintenance•TrafficandTransportation

Los Angeles, CADepartment of Public Works•ContractAdministration•Engineering•Sanitation•StreetLighting•StreetServices

Dallas, TXPublic Works and Transportation•Engineering&Construction•InfrastructureManagement•TransportationOperations•FacilitiesPlanning&Construction•GeographicInformationSystems•SurveyDivision•StormwaterManagementSection

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How Public Is Public Works?It doesn’t take an exhaustive comparison of the chart to determine that no two municipalities are alike. It’s also obvious that not every possible public works service area appears on the lists, but that does not necessarily mean that they aren’t available to those communities. In some cases, functions simply may be lumped under the auspices of one of the agency’s departments or divisions without being listed. In other cases, the agency may not have responsibility for particular functions. For instance, not every jurisdiction will have an airport, and if it does, it may not be a public works responsibility.

Although some functions are not common to every community, each of them will have such things as water, utilities, and trash collection—unquestionably. What IS in question is by whom they are delivered. The traditional concept of public works is that governmental units provide the services, own the facilities, and are usually funded through taxation. However, the situation often is not that clear-cut today, and other models also exist, which include publicly owned corporations and partial outsourcing. It’s not uncommon for the private sector to be involved in delivering public works services as well. For instance, some communities may own a fleet of trash collection vehicles, but other communities will contract out that service to private companies. It’s also common for a municipal engineering division to plan and design large construction projects but to contract out the actual construction work.

Another public works model—complete outsourcing or contracting out with a privately owned corporation—is somewhat more controversial and considered “borderline” on whether it actually fits the definition of providing public works services. Although the services are delivered on behalf of government, the high degree of privatesectorcontroland/orrisktendstodiscountthemasvalidpublic works in some people’s consideration.

Quite often, public utilities—such as water, gas, electricity, telephone, mass transportation, and communication facilities—are not owned and operated by a government agency. However, if utilities are not owned by a governmental unit, they still are said to be “affected with a public interest” and are subject to a degree of government regulation from which other businesses are exempt. In such situations, the utilities often operate as a monopoly in their markets, under a license or franchise, and are required to render adequate service at reasonable prices to all who apply for the service. Although it is not always feasible or cost effective for a municipality to own utilities, the absence of these essential services would be injurious to

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public health and welfare. Therefore, whether publicly or privately owned, the services themselves still can be considered public works.

A Variety of DefinitionsPast APWA President Larry Frevert identified the difficulty of arriving at an adequate definition for public works when he said, “We have too long defined public works too narrowly and related it simply to the responsibility we ourselves have.”

In general, APWA has considered public works to be the primary facilitator in improving a community’s quality of life. Many public works practitioners echo that contention; however, despite its overall importance to society, an interesting side note is that public works is not listed as an occupation or a profession in the Department of Labor Standards Occupation Handbook. In fact, federal classifications for public works jobs do not exist at all.

During the preparation of this booklet, several APWA members offered their own definitions of public works.

Fred Mullard described public works as the “foundation of the comfortable lives we all desire.” Larry Frevert said public works is “any activity that expends public funds to do a project that benefits the public.” Former APWA Executive Director Bob Bugher described public works as “designed to protect and enhance the human environment, they represent investments in the future for the people who create them and for succeeding generations.”

Kurt Blomquist took a lighthearted approach by defining public works as “roads and commodes, with the big yellow trucks for pushing snow.” Then, on a more serious note, he described public works functions as the “core things that make our society work…accomplished for the greater community and not necessarily for a segment of community.”

Al Mabrouk cited the allocation of “resources to protect the health and safety of the public” while Mary Anderson noted that public works “services are essential to a high quality of life.” Carl F. Peter formulated a reverse definition of public works, which states that if the function is “not clearly a fire or police department responsibility, it is probably public works.”

Professor Neil Grigg of the University of Colorado explained that the world “has human, natural, and built environments. The built

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environment includes private property, like houses and businesses, and a public part: public buildings and facilities and support networks—like water and electric lines.”

Michael J. Adams acknowledged that public works can be “many things to many people” and went on to make the observation that “public works professionals may want to be and are sometimes expected to be, all things to all people.” Robert Kopp, in his definition, chose to focus on the people of public works, describing his agency as an “organization of hardworking professional men and women who are entrusted to provide and sustain public safety, health and vitality of a community.” He explained that public works professionals “must be visionary, values-driven, environmental stewards with cost and business savvy and flexible in an ever-changing world.”

Grigg cited William Hardenbergh—a noted sanitary engineer in the first half of the 20th century and editor of Public Works magazine—who took a global view by calling public works the “glue that holds together the national economy.” He asserted that the “road to a stronger economy is not found in clogged streets and highways slowing traffic to a crawl…nor in water shortages, open garbage dumps and polluted streams.” Instead, he said, “national strength will come through the provision of those everyday facilities whereby industry, commerce, and agriculture can thrive and citizens can enjoy the benefits of our national way of life.”

Larry Lux summed up his thoughts on the nature of public works by saying, “My simple definition is—if it has an impact on the quality of life in your community, it was public works that made it happen.” Bob Kuhn pointed out that the list of his agency’s duties keeps expanding to the point that the agency’s motto has become “Just do it.” He has even given himself a new—and more appropriate title—“The Director of Everything No One Else Wants”!

Functions and FacilitiesAfter all these definitions, you may well still be asking, “What IS public works?” In keeping with its role as an “umbrella” organization having a membership with widely varied public works interests, APWA has identified the following broad categories of public works functions:

• management• buildings and grounds

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• equipment• engineering• solid waste• transportation• water

Currently, APWA has ten technical committees to develop programs, provide information and promote understanding of issues stemming from those categories:

• Emergency Management• Engineering and Technology• Facilities and Grounds• Fleet Services• Leadership and

Management• Solid Waste

Management• Transportation• Utility and Public

Right-of-Way• Winter Maintenance• Water Resources

Management

So, what do we find when we look under each of these umbrella terms? Larry Frevert’s list includes: planning, design, construction maintenance and operations; streets, roads, bridges; public transit systems; drinking water, wastewater and stormwater; parks, playgrounds, pools; publicly owned fleets; buildings and grounds; public airports; schools, dams, locks and ports; and sometimes even utilities are publicly owned.

A 1976 APWA publication, History of Public Works in the United States 1776-1976, devoted 16 chapters to a list of topics similar to Frevert’s to tell the story: waterways; roads, streets and highways; highway structures and traffic controls; railroads; urban mass transportation; airways and airports; community water supply; flood control and drainage; irrigation; light and power; sewers and wastewater treatment; solid wastes; public buildings; parks and recreation; military installations; and aerospace.

Possibly, to the average citizen, the inclusion of military installations and aerospace may be the only surprises on either list. However, dams, locks and ports, and airports may also come as a surprise

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to people who tend to think of public works only on a local government level. But, even that perspective produces a lengthy list of categories and functions, which— like the elephant—is a multifaceted entity that includes but is not limited to:

• waterdistributionandtreatment(provideseverythingfromsafe, clean drinking water to treatment of wastewater);

• solidwastemanagement(includescollecting,processing,anddisposing of recyclables, yard waste, and trash);

• engineeringtechnology(designofbuildings,waterandsewersystems, roads and bridges, etc.);

• facilities(managesandmaintainsgovernmentoffices,powerplants, water treatment facilities, equipment and fleet facilities; oversees all phases of construction on public structures, such as government offices, libraries, police stations, recreation centers, etc.);

• streets(effectsstreetsurfacerepair,placesroadsigns;managesstreet cleaning program; implements emergency weather procedures, such as deicing and snow removal)

• trafficandtransportation(designsroadways,operatesmasstransportation systems);

• constructionmanagement(constructsstreets,bridges,detention basins, curbs, sidewalks, etc.);

• fleetservices(repairsandmaintainscars,lightandheavytrucksand all municipal vehicles and equipment);

• parksandgrounds(maintainspublicparksandothergreenspaces available for public use);

• emergencymanagement(actsincoordinationwithotherfirstresponders to emergency events to place barricades, remove debris, provide and operate heavy equipment).

What’s in a Name?So far, this booklet has avoided using the word “infrastructure” when describing public works. But, it’s not appropriate to end without making mention of the “great debate” about terminology that has gone on in public works circles since the 1980s. Is it infrastructure or public works?

The word infrastructure is a French word coined slightly more than 80 years ago to mean “installations that form the basis for a system or operation.” The word was used predominantly in military applications until 1981, then it became popular when Pat Choate and Susan Walter used it in their book, America in Ruins, to discuss an “infrastructure crisis” set off by years of inadequate investment and poor maintenance of public works.

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Some people choose to apply the word “infrastructure” to public works to refer to an interdependent system of works beneficial to society. Other people believe that the implied interdependency doesn’t provide enough flexibility to describe all of the varied facets of what they consider to be public works. In public policy discussion, the U.S. National Research Council adopted the term “public works infrastructure” to refer to the system and its individual elements simultaneously.

Use of the term “infrastructure” got a boost in 2009 when President Barack Obama included funding for infrastructure projects in his stimulus package and endorsed a National Infrastructure Bank. However, columnist Alex Marshall of the online Governing magazine, registered his preference for the term “public works” in his February 2009 column “because it denotes that these are ‘works’ that we the people do together.”

Whatever term you prefer, it will only describe a portion of the panorama of structures and services commonly known as public works. The scope is too wide to precisely describe or analyze it, and when we try, each of us only has a portion of the truth.

So, What IS Public Works?Essential, multifaceted, cutting-edge, quality-of-life-enhancing, progressive, sustainable, community-oriented—what combination of words will best define the indefinable? The discussion may never be settled but, for now, the following definition seems appropriate:

Public works is the combination of physical assets, management practices, policies and personnel necessary for government to pro-vide and sustain structures and services essential to the welfare and acceptable quality of life for its citizens.

Trying to define public works isn’t nearly as important as finding ways to refine the delivery of public works so that every community receives the highest, most cost-effective level of service possible to enhance its quality of life.

As any debater knows, the definition of terms only sets the stage for discussion. The real work comes afterward.

What IsPublic Works?

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What is Public Works