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Public Works director presents 2024 annual report highlighting millions in improvements, parks usage and snow response
Summary
Amy Harpster, director of public works, told Lima City Council the division oversaw roughly $4.8 million in residential improvements, $124.7 million in commercial improvements, removal of 69 blighted structures, completed five capital projects and maintained more than 330 acres of parks in 2024.
Amy Harpster, director of public works, presented the division’s 2024 annual report to Lima City Council, citing infrastructure investment, park usage and street-maintenance work completed last year.
"This past year has been marked by significant progress in our community's infrastructure," Harpster said, summarizing activity across building, engineering, parks and streets divisions.
Key figures from the report Harpster presented: the building division oversaw more than $4.8 million in residential improvement projects and about $124.7 million in commercial improvements; the city removed 69 blighted structures through Mayor Smith’s Better Together Plan and a HUD Community Development Block Grant; the engineering division completed five capital improvement projects and launched seven new capital projects; the parks division manages roughly 330 acres of park, recreation and forestry areas and reported about 112,000 visitors to events and facilities in 2024; the city’s youth basketball program featured 64 teams, 608 players and 279 games; the streets division reported using about 948 tons of hot mix and 19 tons of cold mix for street repairs and contributed more than 1,200 hours of support to the Star-Spangled Spectacular. Harpster also thanked street and snow crews for winter operations, calling them the department’s "dedicated snow fighters."
Councilors responded with praise for the public works staff’s responsiveness and collaboration. Councilor Wilkerson said he was "proud" of the department’s work and Councilor Jones commended the department for being easy to work with across street and parks functions. Councilor Thompson thanked Harpster for returning to serve and welcomed the team.
Why it matters: The figures indicate substantial private investment tracked through building permits and show the division’s role in maintaining parks, performing street repairs and supporting city events. Councilors emphasized ease of working with public works on resident-generated ideas.
What’s next: Harpster did not present detailed dollar amounts for individual capital projects or a multi-year capital plan in this presentation; councilors asked no follow-up questions requesting specific project budgets during the meeting.
