How many times have you noticed the men and women in orange shirts working on the side of the road or cleaning up a park? You may be wondering who they are and what they are doing. These dedicated and hard working individuals are members of the Public Works Department of the City.

Public Works is responsible for maintaining the City’s roadways, parks, trees and landscaping in public areas, sewer and storm drain systems; graffiti removal, City vehicle fleet and public buildings. In addition, the Department oversees programs that benefit the environment such as recycling, household hazardous waste collection and water conservation.

Here is a list of fun facts about Fontana’s Public Works Department:

• The Public Works Department currently has 93 full time employees.
• The operating budget for fiscal year 2009/2010 is $45,713,780, which is comparable to New York Yankee Derek Jeter’s salary for two years.
• The capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2009/2010 is $6,879,960, which is comparable to Colorado Avalanche Paul Stastny's 2009 salary.
• The department currently maintains 401 miles of sewer lines; a distance equal to the distance from the City of Fontana to the City of San Jose.
• Streets maintained by the department are 460 center lane miles, equivalent to the distance from the City of Fontana to the City of Las Vegas and back.
• Street lane miles maintained by the department are 1,302 lane miles; equivalent to a single lane paved road reaching from the City of Fontana to the State of South Dakota.
• The square footage of the streets that the department maintains is 102,600,000 square feet, equivalent to the size of the City of La Puente.
• The square footage of the graffiti that is removed annually is 1,814,721 square feet; more than the size of Fontana Park.
• The City maintains 32 buildings totaling 473,000 square feet, which is comparable to the square footage of the entertainment space at the new Cowboys stadium.
• There are 409 vehicles and pieces of equipment maintained by the department; a number that comprises of all the City’s vehicles and pieces of equipment.
• The department currently maintains 546 acres of park and landscape areas, which is equivalent to the combined acreage of Universal Studios Theme Park and the original land occupied by Disneyland.
• The garbage generated in 2008 by the City of Fontana was 364,125 tons; a weight comparable to the weight of 148 Ford F-150s.
• The garbage diverted (recycled or reused instead of going to the landfill) in 2008 by the City of Fontana was 186,954 tons; a weight comparable to the weight of 99 Toyota Camrys.

The Public Works Department is committed to promoting a healthy environment through the maintenance of the City’s infrastructure, development of programs and services that encourage environmental stewardship, and building environmentally friendly facilities that enhance the quality of life for Fontana residents.

To find out more about the services provided by the Public Works Department or how you can be involved in making a difference in the community, visit www.fontana.org/main/public_serv/pub_serv.htm. To contact Public Works, call (909) 350-6760.