Celebrate Public Works

A Tribute To The Field Crews of Houston Public Works

May 17-23, 2020

Streets, storm drains, traffic signals. These are aspects of our lives so fundamental, we hardly think of them—or of the people who maintain them. Yet every day, men and women arise before dawn to ensure Houston’s streets are safe.

After storms, first-responders get press—yet Public Works department employees serve not only as first-responders, but as pre-responders and post-responders--working overtime to clear drains before a storm and to remove tons of debris afterward. Houston Public Works’ field crews are our city’s unsung heroes. Without their labor to maintain street drains and engineered infrastructure designed to carry away storm water, Houston would be underwater in even the smallest storms.

So often in our society it is the innovators whose work is celebrated, yet on a daily basis, it is the work of maintainers--those who maintain systems, like Houston Public Works—whose efforts most greatly benefit us. This idea, originated by Andrew Russell, co-founder of the nonprofit The Maintainers, is the concept that inspired BCI’s Celebrate Public Works campaign.

During National Public Works Week in May 2020, Bayou City Initiative launched a video series to pay tribute to the men and women who work hard every single day to keep Houstonians safe. Watch the fifteen videos and celebrate with us at this link.