“There’s no way I can say I’m going to fill Gary’s shoes, but I have an opportunity here to make a difference in my community.” So said new Price Public Works Director Miles Nelson, who now heads up the department after the retirement of long time director, Gary Sonntag.
After serving two years on the Price City Council, and with a resume’ replete with upper level management positions in higher education and private industry, Nelson is now fully at the helm of Public Works. He took over the position on October 4, and said it was a smooth transition period, declaring, “I was very fortunate to have Gary during the month of October. He stayed around for four extra weeks as a consultant. We don’t always have that luxury. It worked out very well.”
Public Works is the biggest department in Price City Government, encompassing Engineering, Water and Sewer, Streets, Fleets, Parks and Cemeteries. Nelson said, “A lot of the programs relate really well to my background in construction and industry and so I’m very comfortable with that, with those processes.”
Nelson also expressed confidence in department supervisors, saying he couldn’t ask for a better leadership team, adding, “They have enormous numbers of years of experience in each area, whether it be the streets, the water, the sewer- they’ve been there for years and really know their stuff. I think things are coming together really well right now.”
Lower elevation reservoir
Nelson said he will continue some projects that were started under Sonntag’s tenure. Price City is keenly interested in the concept of a lower elevation reservoir, which would expand the ability to store and deliver water. “That’s one we’ll definitely continue to actively pursue and that’s not just a city effort. It’s been a large effort by many contributing players and interested parties throughout the county,” he said. The most probable site for the proposed reservoir is Garley Canyon, west of the golf course.
“We’re going to continue to also pursue other significant projects from the joint highway committee to do some additional roads in our area,” Nelson said, citing efforts to pave Industrial Park Road which links Airport Road and 800 North. He said it is important to have the infrastructure already in place to attract new industries.
The Public Works Department is prepared to deal with challenges presented by winter weather. It’s a time when water line breaks are more likely to happen, and Nelson said “We have a well-established system to deal with those emergencies with our water crew. He also discussed another public service provided during winter months, saying, “One of the things we deal with is snow removal. Our road and street crews are prepared to take care of that. Hopefully, we’ll have that problem this year.”