Sandy City public works details new hires, fleet shop progress and spring bulk-waste plan

Sandy City Council members heard a multi-part update from the city's Public Works Department on Jan. 28 that introduced two new engineering hires, described progress on a new fleet maintenance building, and outlined this spring's bulk-waste cleanup schedule.

The presentation, given by Ryan Kump, Sandy City public works director, explained why the new hires and building matter for daily service and long-term maintenance. Kump said the department has filled previously vacant positions and introduced Travis Ackerman as assistant city engineer and Ivan Hooper as city transportation engineer. Ackerman was described as having more than 20 years of experience with Utah Department of Transportation Region 3; Hooper was introduced as a transportation engineer who worked with private firm Avenue Consultants and with Sandy on signal coordination and the city's transportation master plan.

Kump said the hires will support capital projects, development coordination and traffic operations. "He comes to us from UDOT Region 3 where he managed significant construction projects for them," Kump said of Ackerman. Speaking about broader transportation trends, Ivan Hooper said, "the industry is moving much more towards active transportation, multimodal transportation, without as much emphasis solely on roads."

The presentation moved next to a progress report on the new fleet shop, a project…