WIESBADEN, Germany – After heavy snowfall in Wiesbaden last Friday, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s Directorate of Public Works acted quickly to ensure safety of its community members.
The Operations and Maintenance Division supports USAG Wiesbaden's mission by providing and maintaining sustainable facilities and infrastructure, as well as emphasizing a culture of safety. This was seen once again, as the Snow and Ice Removal crew jumped into action.
“During the winter season (October – March), DPW activates its Snow and Ice Removal (S&I) Crew to ensure safe flight operations and clear sidewalks and roads for our community in case of freezing temperatures and snowfall,” explained Jasmin Taylor, deputy chief of the Operations and Maintenance Division.
The S&I team is activated during these winter months, in addition to the year-round emergency maintenance teams.
This most recent snowfall included the coordination of 24 workers who set out on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, and continuously cleared the sidewalks and streets of Clay Kaserne and airfield, community housing areas, Mainz Kastel station and the Amelia Earhart Center -- for a total of 29 hours of shift work. The head of operations assisted in monitoring road conditions to activate the team as necessary during the storm.
Additionally, a lime tree on Rheinlandstraße in Aukamm fell on top of two parked cars due to the inclement weather, causing another emergency operation to take place. The German fire department removed tree branches that had landed on the road immediately, after which S&I operational management secured the area in cooperation with the O&M Division and DPW leadership. The tree was removed by the netx evening, with help of the tree maintenance service contractor.
Community members on Clay Kaserne may have also noticed Lindsey Boulevard partially blocked off last Friday afternoon due to a flooding incident caused by a busted valve in the fire hydrant in front of Building 1001. The flooding was communicated by the Fire Department, after water shortages were reported in the building.
The Roads and Grounds Team acted quickly to block off the road and by the next morning, Joachim Dietz, branch chief of DPW's Exterior, Water and Sewer division, along with two equipment operators arrived on site to begin repairs. The hydrant had been replaced by the evening and the impacted members in Buildings 1001 and 1002 had running water once again.
“The DPW workforce takes great pride in providing excellent service to the community and is always eager to get the job done. Despite challenges and hardships that they have to endure, from long work hours and leaving their homes when conditions are not ideal, they always get the job done. They are truly a force multiplier and their work cannot be overstated,” said Shawn Priet, DPW’s operation officer.
Quick communications and coordination across the garrison team and our community continues to prove successful as they respond to various emergencies and pivots as needed, showcasing we are truly 'stronger together.'
Visit the Garrison’s website to find all DPW divisions and the services they provide:
https://home.army.mil/wiesbaden/index.php/about/Garrison/directorate-public-works
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