July 2006

Craig Mongeau - July 2006

The City of Peekskill’s public information officer, Tony Seideman, recently called me and asked if we’d be interested in profiling their director of public works, Dave Greener. Since we had never profiled him or anyone from the City of Peekskill, I said we’d be happy to do it.

But Tony continued enthusiastically “selling” me on the virtues of profiling his city’s DPW director. In particular, he spoke of a recent project over which the city’s residents and politicians are still buzzing. The project involved Peekskill’s McGregory’s Brook and Greener’s creative plan to redirect it out of a crumbling and collapsing 8-ft. diameter galvanized steel culvert to a new concrete culvert that could withstand the pressure from heavy rains.

Moreover, a large stretch of the brook ran under the city’s Park Street and Central Avenue. As part of his redirection strategy (for which Greener also was able to secure vital Federal Emergency Management Agency funding), he exposed a previously hidden 300-ft. section of the brook, which now tumbles down an aesthetically pleasing cascade into a thickly wooded ravine. Soon, McGregory’s banks also will become the new home of the Peekskill Garden Club. A bridge will connect the brook’s sides, too.

After Tony and I wrapped up our phone call and before I called Dave Greener to share the good news with him that his city would like him profiled, it occurred to me that there must be plenty of interesting projects — both large and small — that all of you are working on right now. Some, though unlikely all, make press in your areas. They should, however, make press in Superintendent’s Profile, which leads me to the point of my column this month.

If any of you would like us to cover a project of which you’re especially proud, call or e-mail me using the phone number and address adjacent to this column and we can do a story. I would love to hear from you about your projects, and I’m certain that many of you would like to read about each other’s important jobs, as well.

I look forward to hearing from you. P