City Manager's Annual Report 2017 | A Year In Review | Page 40

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E N V I R O N M E N T A L
S T E W A R D S H I P
A crew was dispatched to their home and Field Technician
Ben Lantaigne did everything he could to recover the ring.
“I spent an hour and a half raking their tank, taking out
sediment, sludge, and waste and I couldn’t find it, but I
knew it had to be somewhere in their system.”
The next day another crew went to search with a camera
made for tight spaces—like sewer lines, in hopes of
getting eyes on the ring. Still no luck.
#IAMPSL
RING SAVED FROM SEWER:
Determined, Maintenance Mechanic Jose Rodriguez and
Field Technician Nick Spangenberg came back to the
house, pumped the system down and Jose hopped into
the 250-gallon grinder tank. With a double-gloved hand,
he felt around the sludge at the bottom.
PSL UTILITY SYSTEMS PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF
After a few minutes, Jose felt something. “I said, Nick, I
Whoosh. World War II Veteran Robert “Bob” Coleman flushed found it! And he thought I was joking and when I showed
and saw the flash of his ring as it swirled away with the water. him, we both started smiling and laughing.”
It had slipped off his finger and splashed into the great sewer
After scrubbing the ring clean, Donna Lee went to her
unknown. He told his daughter, Donna Lee, what just happened.
father. “I placed the ring on Dad’s finger and tears started
“It was just so heartbreaking when I saw the expression on his to come down his face. That was a wonderful ending to
face and I thought, what am I going to do?” Donna Lee said with such a tragic thing.”
tears in her eyes.
When asked about being part of the recovery team, Nick
The ring was one of a kind—just like Mickie. Bob and Mickie said, “It’s not the cleanest job, but we did what we had to
were married for 33 years and after her death, Bob had her do to recover the ring and it paid off to see how happy
engagement ring and wedding ring made into a handsome they were that we found it.”
band he would wear every day in remembrance of his dear wife.
“She was a wonderful woman, the ring put her closer to me,” he
said.
Donna Lee couldn’t let it end this way. She called the Port St.
Lucie Utility Systems Department and spoke with Customer
Service Specialist Marlene Ellis.
Marlene said her heart broke when she received the call. “The
first thing I thought of was getting a pair of rubber gloves myself
because I was going over there to help find it.”
#IAMPSL
ROUND-THE-CLOCK OPERATION
Most residents in the City of Port St. Lucie
were able to get up and running pretty
quickly following Hurricane Irma. Drainage
systems worked properly with out major
flooding on roads after the storm, and
crews quickly removed downed trees and
connected traffic lights to generators. Staff in
the City’s Public Works Department logged
almost 17,900 hours of work prior to, during
and after Hurricane Irma in 2017. That work
was even recognized by some of the City’s
younger residents. Second graders in Mrs.
Corrigan’s class at West Gate K-8 School
took time to send thank you cards to Public
Works staff:
#IAMPSL
“I appreciate you guys fixing roadways and
fixing street signs to keep us safe,” one
student wrote.
“Thank you for cleaning the branches from the
roads. I am glad because cars don’t drive over
them and so we’re safe,” another wrote.
Public Works employees shoveled sand and
distributed free sandbags to residents. They
responded to resident calls both before and
after the storm. Employees inspected control
structures, canals, and swales prior to and
after the storm and removed obstructions.
They removed traffic signal heads prior to the
storm, and put them right back up afterward.
They found all of the damaged road signs and
repaired and replaced them. And Public Works
staff pitched in and assisted the emergency
debris contractor, picking up 37 percent of
all debris removed for a total of 3,821 tons of
debris.