Behind the sign identifying Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road sits an old grader and plow that have been on display for many years.
With more than 600 streets and roads to maintain, as well as parks, public buildings, sidewalks and other facilities, Auburn Public Works crews need a giant fleet of vehicles and support equipment to do the work.
The majority of it is housed in a giant garage on Gracelawn Road in Auburn. The fleet of trucks is retrofitted each season for the tasks at hand, and upgrades and maintenance are constant. While some of the specialty items need to be ordered, or equipment sent out, the skilled mechanics and technicians at the facility often do the maintenance and repairs themselves.
With almost 60 full-time employees, 100 pieces of rolling stock and a budget greater than $2 million dollars, Auburn Public Works is a vital city component.
Scott Stevens fixes a marker light on the back of a plow truck at the Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road.
A pile of discarded chains for the tires of the plow trucks grows after a recent storm at the Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road.
Temporary mailboxes stand in the garage. If a plow accidentally damages a resident's mailbox during a storm, workers can install a temporary one until they can repair the damaged one.
Matt Seamon, left, and James Richardson remove the rusted skin of a 13-year-old plow that will need to be replaced, along with the carbide cutting edges, at the Auburn Public Works facility on Gracelawn Road.
Inside the Auburn Public Works garage on Gracelawn Road, plows, sanders and other equipment are ready for the next storm or project.
Building technician Alan Spencer makes a street sign at the Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road.
Rick Clark replaces the hydraulic fittings and lines for a plow attachment on a 2000 International truck that developed a leak during the last storm.
Plastic tow trucks are lined up under the computer monitor of Mark Jolin, an inventory technician at Auburn Public Works. Parts supplier AW Direct includes the trucks with parts it ships.
Keys hang in a locked cabinet for some of the 100-plus rolling stock inventory at the Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road.
Keys hang in a locked cabinet for some of the 100-plus rolling stock inventory at the Auburn Public Works on Gracelawn Road.
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