PUBLIC WORKS 

November 15, 2021

Public Notice

 

Geary County Public Works is committed to keeping Geary County highways and gravel roads cleared whenever inclement winter weather impacts our area.

In line with workforce shortages across the state, Geary County does not have enough equipment operators (snowplow / motor-grader operators). These shortages create the potential for highways and gravel roads to not be cleared of snow and ice as quickly as in the past years.

Geary County Public Works has dealt with reduced staffing in the past, in which we have worked through those times. The shortages are greater this year. Public Works is about 45% short of Equipment Operators needed to be fully staffed.  Our employees work 12-hour shifts and do their best to keep the roads open for the traveling public and emergency vehicles.

Geary County Public Works will rely on all employees who have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to clear roadways of snow and ice. For people interested in working at Geary County Public Works, go to the County’s website at https://gearycounty.org/ .  Geary County will assist selected applicants in obtaining a CDL upon hiring, including paying for training.

Divisions of Public Works

  • Building Maintenance
  • Noxious Weed 
  • Road and Bridge 
  • Rural Water District Number 2 
  • Sewer District Number 4
  • Solid Waste Transfer Station
  • Traffic Control/Sign Shop 
  • Road & Bridge Division

The Road and Bridge Division maintains 125 total miles of asphalt roadway, 255 total miles of rock roadway, 5 total miles of dirt roadway and 85 twenty foot and longer bridges. They provide in-house bridge, ditch and culvert maintenance and installation; snow removal and roadside mowing. Maintenance of 10 motor graders, 9 sand spreader/plow trucks and 6 mowers is also done in-house.

Rural Water & Sewer Districts

Rural Water Number 2 and Rural Sewer Number 4 serves 26 homes in the Laurel Canyon Housing Area located on the west side of Milford Lake. Geary County maintains a 98-foot water tower and a Smith and Loveless Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Traffic Control / Sign Shop

The Traffic Control/Sign Shop fabricates, installs and maintains all County roadside markers, street signs, and traffic control signs.

Building Maintenance Division

The Building Maintenance Division provides routine maintenance on all county office buildings, which includes the:

  • 4-H Senior Center
  • Ag Extension Office
  • County Office Building
  • District Court Office
  • Geary County Courthouse
  • Health Department
  • Pennell Building

Building Maintenance also oversees the lawn care, snow removal, janitorial and pest control contracts for all county buildings. They also oversee Freedom Park and the Fairview Cemetery.

Solid Waste Transfer Station

The county-owned Solid Waste Transfer Station provides municipal solid waste removal for the citizens of Geary County. The county provides a scale house attendant and billing staff. NR. Hamm Quarry, Inc. has a 5-year total operations contract and transports a daily average waste of 105 tons to the NR. Hamm Quarry Inc. at Perry, KS.