The West Hartford Department of Public Works will hold its sixth annual Open House on Saturday, May 12, with special events to include paper shredding, big trucks, and recycling tips, and ‘Fill-A-Public-Works-Truck’ food drive to support the West Hartford Food Pantry.

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West Hartford’s Department of Public Works will hold its sixth annual Open House on Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at its facility on 17 Brixton St., in observance of National Public Works Week which is held each May.

At the event children can sit in big trucks, while adults safely shred confidential papers and get all their questions answered. Attendees can enter a free drawing for five yards of color-enhanced mulch from Supreme Forest Products, West Hartford’s Recycling Center operators. The winner may have the mulch picked-up or delivered.

Held nearby on the Oakwood extension, Covanta Energy will host a free residential paper shredding event for West Hartford residents, also from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Confidential papers can be disposed of properly and safely. This event is for residents only, no businesses.

Also at the Open House, two winning recycling banners will be revealed. Each of the West Hartford Public Schools, from elementary to high school, submitted a 24-foot paper entry on behalf of their school with an important recycling message to the community. The winning banner will be transformed into a professionally-produced 24-foot vinyl banner that will hang periodically on the Goodman Green in West Hartford Center.

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Attendees are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the West Hartford Food Pantry and help a neighbor in need. West Hartford DPW is joining 34 other communities in Connecticut to “Fill-A-Public -Works-Truck” to collect food and household goods in support of local community food banks.

“On behalf of West Hartford Public Works Department, we thank you in advance for your support of this critical community need,” said Director John Phillips.

West Hartford’s Fill-A-Public-Works-Truck Food Drive begins at the Open House and will continue until May 25 at these locations:

• Saturday, May 12, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., DPW Open House, 17 Brixton St.
• Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m.-noon, Stop & Shop, 1235 Farmington Ave.
• May 21-25, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., DPW, 17 Brixton St. (during National Public Works Week)

Instituted in 1960, National Public Works Week calls attention to the importance of public works in community life. The week of May 20-26, 2018, seeks to bring awareness to the often-unsung heroes of our society – the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication.

The Department of Public Works is a critical municipal service that is responsible for maintaining the quality of life in West Hartford that we’ve come to enjoy. DPW is the agency that fixes the pothole on your street, removes your trash and recyclables, educates you on the newest item to recycle, collects your twigs and leaf bags, removes snow and makes streets safe for driving, paves your neighborhood school’s parking lot, sweeps your street, changes the burnt out street light, maintains the cemeteries, cuts the grass at all the schools and town facilities, and operates the municipal parking lots.

For more information on West Hartford Public Works, call 860-561-8100 or visit the www.WestHartfordCT.gov/PublicWorks.

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