Public Works offers chance to learn how it operates

Published 6:10 pm Friday, March 10, 2023

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The Suffolk Public Works Department is hosting its next Citizen Academy this spring offering residents the opportunity to learn firsthand about its inner workings and operations.  

Sessions are broken down to provide an overview of the wide array of services the department provides to the city, from building multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects to emptying your trash can.       

The free four-week Citizen Academy is held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday evenings, starting April 20 and concluding May 11 with a graduation ceremony.

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Public Works hosted its first successful Citizen Academy in the fall 2022.

Ms. Vivian Saunders who participated said she learned so much about public works and what they handle at the academy.

“I was very excited to come in and be able to find out what all the divisions actually did and be able to take it back out to my community,” Saunders said.

Director of Public Works Robert Lewis said the next is building off of the success of the one in the fall.

“We got some constructive feedback from the participants who took part in our first Academy and we are looking forward to this one,” Lewis said. “If you have questions or want to find out why we do things the way we do, then this is your chance to talk directly to the team.” 

 

Applications can be downloaded from the website at www.suffolkva.us/PWAcademy or can be obtained at Public Works Engineering in City Hall, 442 West Washington St., or Public Works Operations, 800 Carolina Rd.   

For questions or to request an application, contact Wayne Jones, Community Outreach Coordinator, at 757-514-7716 or by email at wjones@suffolkva.us.