Mill Creek public works outlines increased in-house repairs and maintenance during June council update

Public Works staff on June 10 summarized recent maintenance work and said crews have taken more in-house responsibilities this year, increasing pavement preservation, catch-basin repairs, sidewalk panel replacements and tree-trimming.

Public Works presenter Keegan said crews have completed major tree-trimming on several streets (including 160th and Seattle Hill), hauled more than 1,000 cubic yards of wood chips and repaired or replaced more than 48 signposts and 106 city-owned streetlight fixtures so far this year. Staff also said they have done 292 lane miles of street sweeping this season and removed roughly 270 tons (540,000 pounds) of material from public rights-of-way.

New in-house work: Keegan said the city has begun performing tasks previously contracted out — such as catch-basin rehabilitation and selective sidewalk panel replacement — to accelerate repairs and reduce long-term costs. The department is preparing a citywide sidewalk assessment contract to prioritize and fund future panel replacements.

Council reaction: Members thanked crews and staff for expanded capacity; council also requested the streetlight and sidewalk assessment updates be posted to the city website so residents can see pending work. The manager and council noted that two additional public-works positions authorized earlier this year have increased the department’s ability to perform these tasks in-house.

Staff delivered an on-record appreciation message for the crew’s emergency and routine work during storms, cleanups and special events.