Union Street leak fixed now what about 9th and California

We always try to get to leaks in a timely manner. Certain situations may put a particular leak before others..ex: material being washed out from under a road or sidewalk, etc. If a leak causes an unsafe situation those are obviously a priority. We have had a few employees off for surgery and have also had some personnel changes which has set us back a bit in addition to some major projects that were already scheduled to take place at a certain time and installation of new services. Add the excessive heat in there as well which slows crews down. I am not trying to make excuses but all of these things factor in. Every member of the Columbus Utilities team has a genuine concern for continued and uninterrupted service for all of our customers especially during these extremely hot months. We are trying Columbus. We really are. We are just needed in too many places at one time.

Brick Layer let me educate you on what it's like to be a public utilities worker.

I have done masonry work in the past. Someone else carries your mud and bricks to you. All you do is mud and stack bricks. The hod carrier has the physical job not you. If it rains, you guys don't work. If it's freezing outside, you guys don't work. Masons work 1 shift a day. You guys work on a construction site away from traffic.

Here's what utility workers deal with on a daily basis (this goes for Duke Energy and Vectren as well):

1. Trafic. You have to watch out for: cars speeding by the work site, drivers not paying attention to the road (texting,etc), drivers trying to enter into the work site. Having to stop traffic and drivers not listening to you because they don't want to stop.

2. When you are working in the hole you have to deal with these things: banks caving in on top of you (seen this many times), large pieces of asphalt road collapsing into the hole (many times), no air in the hole (hard to breathe), wash outs. Situations in the hole are constantly changing and usually for the worse.

3. We are on call 24/7/365 and we work in ALL weather conditions.Try fixing a "live" water main in freezing temps. We work day and night. Try working your 7-4 shift, then going back in at 5pm and getting off at 5am and have to be back to work at 7am.

4. How about having to work in the sewer? We are exposed to bacteria and the like. We go down into lift station wet wells that are 15+ feet underground (the well is dry at this point but the poop still remains). We have to unstop clogged sewer lines and clean up any mess left behind. Most people won't even think of doing this type of work.

5. Just because our schedule says 7-4 doesn't mean we always work that shift. You may find yourself working 23 hours straight non stop (been there. done that). Sometimes breakfast is your only meal for the next 24 hours and we don't get 15 minute breaks in our shifts either. Sorry but when there is work to do our 15 minute breaks are forgotten about and so is lunch breaks.

6. How about having to shut off a persons water when they have kids or are elderly or sick? WE DO NOT ENJOY SHUTTING PEOPLE"S WATER OFF AT ALL!!

7. How about having to leave your family on Christmas day, birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc and go work instead of being with them?

These are just a few of the things utility workers deal with on a DAILY basis. If we don't go home bleeding, bruised, muddy,cussed out and threatened then we were obviously not at work.

Am I complaining? NO WAY! I love my job and all of its unpredictability. We ALL love this job or we wouldn't be doing it. ALL of us chose to do this job and we continue to chose this job day in and day out.

This type of work is not for everyone. WE work under any kind of condition regardless of weather or time of day.

Again am I whining? HELL NO!! I love this job and I am very thankful to have one. We all do whatever it takes to keep the water and sewers flowing in this town. If you think that we need to improve or that we are just "typical city workers" or you want to complain about how we do things, then by all means join us. See if you have what it takes.

I never meant to come off the wrong way with my comment but it kind of struck me wrong that you lumped me and the team in with the "typical city workers" comment. We don't have cookouts. We just don't have time and they have absolutely nothing to do with our jobs. I really couldn't see any of us approaching Mr Reeves with the idea either...lol. I won't go into details but there are huge differences between Utilities and other city departments. We often refer to ourselves as the stepchildren of the city lol. We are city but we aren't, if that makes sense.

I agree there is always room for improvement with any job. Work smarter not harder. You are also right that being complacent is a very bad thing. There are always better ways to perform specific functions.

I also agree that saving your employer money should always be important to any employee. It helps to ensure your job and importance within any company. Columbus Utilities is solely supported by our own revenue and not supported at all by tax dollars so saving the company money is a good practice to be in.

Every job has its own "less than enjoyable" moments. From the clerk at a convenience store to a soldier on the front lines, each job presents challenges to the employees at a personal and a professional level. Maintaining professionalism in the trying times of a job is what separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. My job is no more important or no less important than any other job in the world but I strive to do my absolute best at what I do so that at the end of the day I can look back and know that I did what it took to complete the assignment. Not for personal gain mind you, but for my own sense of pride.