National Public Works Week Proclamation 2025
A Tribute to Our Dedicated DPW Team for Public Works Week
As we celebrate DPW Week from May 18-24, 2025, I wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible work you do every day. Your dedication and hard work ensure that our community runs smoothly and efficiently, and we are truly grateful for your efforts.
From maintaining our roads and infrastructure to ensuring our public spaces are clean and safe, your contributions are invaluable. Your commitment to excellence and your unwavering service to our community do not go unnoticed. You are the backbone of our city's functionality and the unsung heroes who make our daily lives better.
Thank you for your tireless efforts and for always going above and beyond to serve our community. We appreciate everything you do and are proud to have such a dedicated team working for us.
Wishing you all a wonderful DPW Week!
City of Peshtigo’s Department of Public Works Crew:
Mark Madden Jason Stibbie Rich Sparks Scott Walters
Andrew Monnette Pat Spangenberg Jeff Vorphal
Jared Philips John Valitchka
DPW Director Matt Decur
History of Public Works Week
A stable society and a functioning public works unit are Interdependent. Since the time of the Roman Empire, governments have relied on establishing systems that serve society through welfare programs and essential services. These systems enable the citizens to perform business and conduct their personal lives in peace. Likewise, a healthy public works unit contributes to the elevation of the quality of life.
Public works in broad terms can be viewed as the recreational, aesthetical, and economic investments made to ease the lives of citizens in a republic. Public works also include the social safety net programs offered by the government to elevate low-income families out of poverty and detriment. From the head of the state to the governor, all the way to the local county officials and municipal board — the entire body of government is engaged in public works through a tier system.
Soon after the crash of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ushered in a new wave of expanded government services and utility investments that changed the course of public works in the U.S. The F.D.R. administration also modified the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works and renamed it Public Works Administration in 1935. The deployment of a robust economic package that employed the public and strengthened private businesses helped the U.S. make its way out of the Great Depression. Subsequently, a cohort of public works leaders formed the American Public Works Association (A.P.W.A.) in 1937.
In 1960, the A.P.W.A. received an official endorsement from the United States Senate and organized the first Public Works Week. Six decades after its establishment, the A.P.W.A. continues to be the biggest voice for public works employees. Every year, a theme is allotted for National Public Works Week, the most recent being ‘Stronger Together’ and ‘The Rhythm of Public Works.’