Public Works Completes Flood Mitigation Wall and Makes a Friend

Published on 6/15/2023

Last updated: 6/15/2023 3:00 PM

Alachua County Public Works announced today that they have completed construction of a flood mitigation wall at the intersection of NW 98 Street and NW 23 Avenue. They made a friend in the process.

The 730 ft concrete wall was built to help mitigate the flooding of homes in the Hills of Santa Fe Subdivision during extreme rain events. Last September, homeowners in the subdivision brought it to the County’s attention that water had flowed through the subdivision, damaging their homes. County engineers determined that the most cost-effective solution was building a concrete wall to keep the water from entering the subdivision. The wall, which varies in height from 1 to 3 ft, was constructed by the Road and Bridge staff and took approximately 193 cubic yards of concrete to construct.

During construction, the crew noticed a gentleman and his young companion coming almost daily to the construction site to watch the progress. It was apparent that the younger resident was very interested in the tractors. On the last day of the job, Todd Haines, Equipment Operator III, surprised the boy by giving him a toy tractor of his own. Todd paid for the toy with his own money.

While this young man is probably a little young, the Public Works Department is currently looking to fill an Equipment Operator I position. This is an entry-level operator position with plenty of room to advance as you gain on-the-job experience working for the County. Please apply online.

Please contact Brian Kauffman, P.E., Assistant Public Works Director at (352) 548-1306 for more information about this story.

Public Works Completes Flood Mitigation Wall and Makes a Friend

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