Screaming sirens, lights and trucks, boots and trousers, hose and guts – what little boy didn’t dream of being a firefighter? “Firefighting – one of the few professions left that still makes house calls.” – Author unknown. Washington is blessed with sixteen firefighters staffing two stations. They work in two shifts, each 24 hours long. Everyday rain or shine, they stand ready. Quietly going about their business in relative obscurity. Driving by a firehouse, you’ll see them washing their trucks…..
The old song popped into your head, didn’t it? “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute, never be a dirty bird. In the snow or on the sand, help keep America – looking Grand.” – US Forest Service PSA Woodsy Owl was everywhere in the ‘70s and ‘80s. You couldn’t watch children’s programming without hearing his song. If you’re nostalgic, you can still find the spots on YouTube. The focus was to urge kids to reduce pollution by not littering. The thinking…..
Mere steps from the best city park in the state, Anita Ash and her friends in the Utility Office go about their business. The non-descript midcentury building, once part of the city’s long-gone power plant, still teems with activity. Within its walls the dedicated staff track all the accounts, bills, and expenses for four utilities – Electric, Water, Sewer, and Stormwater. Last year alone they mailed and collected over ninety-six thousand utility bills. Yeah, ninety-six thousand. Lay the envelopes end…..
On a recent night, it was cold, dreary and I passed the time reviewing the City’s Annual Financial Report. Yeah, I’m a bit of a nerd about stuff like that. Anyway, the report totals a staggering sixty-two pages. Why, just the summary fills five, but detailed on those pages is the fate of every dollar that enters the City’s coffers – over $79,000,000 of them. That was the total revenue in 2018; taxes, grants, and utility revenue. On a lark,…..
The City of Washington Engineering Department has but one employee, Ed Barnett. Ed has been the City Engineer since 1986 – that’s thirty-three years helping Washington grow and prosper. Few ever encounter Ed as he goes about his duties. Those who do quickly learn to rely on his experience and knowledge. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, Land Surveyor, and a Washington native. After graduating from Purdue in 1970, he worked on the Gil Hodges Bridge, and parts of I-64…..
Perhaps the most overlooked department in Washington is Animal Control which operates out of a small frame building near Perdue. It’s three-member staff quietly go about their business. The manager, Beth Trousdale, has been there for ten years, and her assistant, Rex Davis, has been there sixteen. During that time Animal Control has evolved into a state-of-the-art Animal Shelter that handles about eight hundred animals a year. Surprisingly over half of those animals come from outside the city limits. From…..
The Washington Parks and Recreation Department is probably best known for Christmas in the park. Every year they put up more than 50,000 Christmas lights. It’s a labor of love that transforms Eastside Park into a wonderland of snowmen, elves, sleighs and Christmas trees. You can even tune into a local radio broadcast to hear Christmas music as you cruise the park. The tradition, which began in the late 1970s or early 80s, attracts visitors from outside the county. It’s…..
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us….” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Boonville and…..
Cities developed as population centers to exploit agricultural products, natural resources, transportation routes, and later industrial production. Historically their first responsibilities were to provide for public safety – law enforcement and fire protection. In time their duties evolved to include essential public works that promoted the health and welfare of their citizens – sanitation, drinking water, streets, stray animal control, street lighting, and power. Or as long-time councilman Blake Chambers says, “plow the streets and keep the lights on.” Later…..
When we pulled into town, it was dark. It was more a village than a town; no street lights, no lights at all except a small storefront. It was lit up like a Christmas tree. Jim parked near the door. “Is this the place?” I asked. “Yep, I come here every month.” He replied stepping out of his Lincoln. To the right of the door, a plate glass window cast a welcoming glow across the sidewalk. A neon open sign…..