Des Moines Sun

DES MOINES, IOWA — Department of Public Works Director Jonathan Gano has been recognized by the American Public Works Association (APWA) as a 2023 Top Ten Public Works Leader.

This year's list of award-winners was released in the May issue of the APWA Reporter magazine. Those honored are recognized for their dedication to improving the quality of life in their communities through the advancement of public works services and technology.

"What motivates me is the power of creative problem solving," said Gano. "Each day I try to make at least one thing a little better."

Public Works is responsible for the City's sanitation, streets maintenance, forestry, sewer operations and stormwater management while also operating the Des Moines Metro Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA).In recognizing Gano, the APWA highlighted the Public Works team's share of essential projects under the City's Capital Improvements Program budget valued at over $450 million as well as the finalization of a $1.1 billion facility plan to ensure the WRA meets capacity needs through 2045."There's a lot of work to do to fix today's problems while also working to prevent future ones," Gano said.

The APWA previously recognized the City's Public Works team with the Exceptional Performance Award in Diversity in 2021 for the Growing Futures program. Initiated by Gano, Growing Futures is a partnership between the City and nonprofit Trees Forever to hire local teens from disadvantaged areas to help plant and maintain City trees, providing them with life skills and job training while improving the City's urban forest.

The Growing Futures team recently helped the Forestry Division hand out free trees to Des Moines residents as part of the City's Tiny Trees program, another project initiated by Gano that aims to expand the City's urban tree canopy.

Original source can be found here.