Director of Public Works remarks on the effects of COVID-19

COVID-19 hasn’t stopped Havre Public Works from performing their services within the community, Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson said Wednesday.

Public Works services include water, sewer, streets, garbage, storm sewers and building maintenance. Services have been well-maintained in the midst of the coronavirus by working in specifically designed shifts to curve the virus, Peterson said.

“Some of the things we’ve done is split up our shifts a bit. So everybody isn’t coming in at the same time,” he said. “We try to keep two of the crews social distancing from each other, so if something happens with a person you might be able to isolate them. We try to keep the crews independent from the ones who are out there.”

The problems are when people are contact traced and then they are out for a while and other issues, Peterson said.

“The schools were shut down last spring with people having to take time off because their kids were at home and they had to be at home,” Peterson said. “That was the normal for everybody and that’s why we try to split our crews up and do things so we are kind of apart from each other.”

There have been no cases within the Public Works Department, but they have had someone who has been in contact with someone who carried the virus, but they themselves tested negative, Peterson said.

Despite the close encounter within the organization, employees generally feel safe, he said.

“There is an open-door policy on things like that if they have any problems or concerns,” Peterson said. “They come in and talk to us and most of them feel pretty good with what’s going on, and how we have our crews separated.”