St. Cloud Public Works Busy this Spring; Mourning a Loss
The St. Cloud Public Services Department is mourning the loss of longtime Public Works Operations Manager Tom Zabinski. He passed away recently after a courageous battle with cancer. St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel joined me on WJON. She says Tom put in over 40 years of service to the St. Cloud community and was working all the way up to his hospitalization. Hodel says Zabinski is missed.
Hodel says Public Works has been working on pot hole filling and expects that to pick up with precipitation expected this weekend. She says the freeze and thaw leads to pot holes challenges on older roads. Hodel doesn't expect this to be too bad of year for pot holes in part, because of the amount of roads that have been reconstructed over the past few years. She says reconstructed roads shouldn't have pot holes for 10 to 15 years.
Public Works is also working on street sweeping, crack sealing, alley grading, storm water sumps and maintenance with the Vactor truck. They are also working on sod and mailbox repair, catch basin and manhole repairs in relation to the 2025 road resurfacing project and also the Lincoln Avenue Project. Public Works is removing plows and salt spreaders from trucks, road sign repair and replacement and assisting with biosolid hauling.
The City of St. Cloud has key construction projects in 2025 including the reconstruction of Lincoln Avenue. Expect more details on these projects in future stories on WJON.com.
For the last few years St. Cloud Public Services has offered "Adopt-a-Drain Program". Hodel says residents can claim one or more available storm drains and take responsibility for clearing leaves, dirt, ice and grass clippings from the drain.
Hodel indicates water levels are a bit low but we are not in a drought in St. Cloud. She is optimistic the rain expected this weekend will aid in the efforts to bring water levels back to normal.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Tracy Hodel, it is available below.