Feb 19, 2017 at 9:00 am | Print View

NORTH LIBERTY Michael Pentecost, the former assistant water superintendent for North Liberty, was named the citys new streets superintendent in September. As one of the fastest growing communities in the state, North Libertys streets department is dealing with increasing traffic and a need for updated infrastructure.

Q: What are some of your responsibilities as streets superintendent?

A: The Streets Department manages and maintains all of the public roadways. We clear them of snow and ice in the winter. We are also responsible for all the street signs, traffic signals and civil defense warning sirens. We upkeep the cities stormwater and sanitary sewer collection infrastructure as well.

Q: How have the first few months in this new role been going so far?

A: Great. I have an outstanding departmental crew of seven that have been doing a terrific job for years. Many of them have lived in North Liberty or are current residents and truly care about the quality of work they do because it is their town, too. I have received a tremendous amount of support from City Hall staff, other departments and in many cases, from the general public.

Q: North Liberty is one of the fastest growing cities in the state. How does that create challenges or opportunities for the city in terms of streets and infrastructure?

A: The fast growth of North Liberty does create some challenges like keeping up with the ever-growing infrastructure, but it creates great opportunities as well. There are so many things in North Liberty that we simply would not have without the growth. We have a beautiful trail system, a large number of public parks throughout the city, a large library and recreation center, lots of restaurants and businesses. In the fall of 2017, the new Liberty High School will open to complement the quality elementary and junior high schools that are here.

Q: How do you approach that growth from a streets perspective?

A: There are a number of things you do to manages the growth. You challenge your team for thought-provoked planning and organizing. Previous and current staff have done an outstanding job of this. You also manage everything close, whether it be finances, resources, staffing levels or efficiencies. You simply dont have downtime to catch up, so you try to get the highest level of benefit out of every resource.

Q: Are there any notable streets projects planned for this coming construction season?

A: We do have a number of street projects, but I am most excited about two of them. In the upcoming construction season, Penn Street, leading into town off (Interstate) 380, is getting its final expansion in traffic lanes to match the previous projects. This will help immensely with peak-time traffic. The second project I am excited about is the complete reshaping and paving of the northern part of North Liberty Road. This is a section that is currently gravel with many hills and a sharp curve. There has been great effort in design and planning to make this road that connects to Dubuque Street and the new high school both safer and improved. These projects do create inconvenience and frustration sometimes with the public, but the final product is well worth the short period of time during construction.

Q: Has there been anything surprising so far that has come with this new role?

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com

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What they're thinking: North Liberty Streets Superintendent Michael Pentecost - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines