WW County Public Works recognized for excellence

WALLA WALLA: The Walla Walla County Public Works crew was recognized by the American Public Works Association at its annual Night of Excellence Awards event on October 10. The crew received the Chapter Hero's Award from the APWA 's Washington chapter.

Walla Walla's Lead Foreman, Tom White, and Administrative Services Supervisor, Amy Paolino, brought the city's public work crew's efforts to find a cost-effective, long-term solution to gravel road and pavement maintenance to the APWA's state chapter.

Their submission to the APWA's Kudos Wall was picked up by a member who submitted the information for consideration for a Chapter Heroes Award. The special recognition award is not given out every year; it is only when an individual or group deserves recognition for outstanding service to their community in public works by front-line workers.

What made the Walla Walla crew stand out, was its in-house design used in addition to an Asphalt Zipper and a road widener. With the invention, first drawn in soapstone on the shop floor, the crew could reinforce and widen many of the city's heavily traveled and narrow roads in one pass.

After a demonstration by the Asphalt Zipper Corporation, management, and the crew could see much more potential out of the machine than demonstrated.

The crew created its invention after a demonstration by the Asphalt Zipper Corporation. The "secret invention" allowed the skilled grader operators to remove the fill material left behind from the Asphalt Zipper, then roll it out and pave it with the Road Widener.

Walla Walla County is the only public works department in the country to use this custom process for shouldering and road widening.

The Chapter Hero Award is not awarded annually; it is only in years when there is something of exceptional impact the APWA wishes to recognize.