Bill Jones checks his map on the computer located in his truck before heading to the emergency site to mark the sewer lines. Jones is utilities coordinator for Public Works Services for the City Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. Photo by Shirley Ruhe.
Bill Jones climbs into his white city truck and heads for 5375 Duke St. to respond to an emergency ticket. "This is a private complex so I only work sewer. The storm drains are private in different parts of the city," he says.
Jones is utilities coordinator for Public Works Services for the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. He handles sewer and storm.
Jones points to his computer which has been installed facing the driver's seat and is hooked up to the computer on his desk inside the building. Each morning Jones pulls tickets off the computer for work which is required to be completed in the next two days. The tickets come from Miss Utility in Roanoke. If it is an emergency ticket he says, "we have three hours." He says the tickets "come in all hours of the day and night. He pulls a pile off the dashboard. I can get 60-70 in a day." He says last year "I did 16,511 tickets."
As though it is his own private avenue, Jones drives down Duke Street toward the site. He says, "See that manhole. I marked it a couple of weeks ago." Close to the corner of Duke Street and South Pickett he points out a green flag. "There is a storm line under the flag. That fire hydrant will have to be removed.” The phone blares as the contractor calls from the emergency site. Jones says, "Where you at over here? Are you on the street? I'll be there in 5 minutes." The contractor work can't proceed until the sewer lines have been identified and marked.
Jones arrives at the complex. "Hi Tia." Tia Fuga is a contractor for Verizon who will be laying the new communication line. "How deep you goin'?" Jones explains his sewer line is 12 inches down there. Jones says a ticket is needed before marking something. There are three parts to a ticket. "Alexandria's part is the the traffic and sewers. The communications company does the communications lines and Utiliquest does the power, gas and water. The finished ticket gets reported to Miss Utility in Roanoke.
Jones says, “Let's go take a look. You see those three manholes. On my map it only shows two." He heads to the first manhole. "Let's see what we got in this hole. Yup, it's sewer; see the water runnin'."
Jones heads to the back of his truck where he pulls out a long orange manhole hook which he says is a new model that makes it easier to pick up a manhole cover. And he has a sledge hammer if it proves too difficult.
He heads back to the truck and pulls out a large silver paint container. Jones shakes it up as he heads for the manhole. Jones sprays the lines marking the manhole, and his already green spattered boots get caught in the crossfire. Green is the color for marking sewers for underground utility lines. He says every service has a different color; for instance yellow is for gas, purple for irrigation, and red for electric. Jones says contractors have to get everything marked or even in your front yard. "Here, look at this stop sign." He says, pointing to the ground, "If they had put it right here they would have risked running right into the gas line and creating a leak."
Jones says he works five days a week with Raymond Monk as his partner. “We’re out here every day together. He does an excellent job. And if I need more help, they send other guys. it is a group effort. We all work together as a team." Jones has been working on the sewer crew for a little over three years and before that, he was on the asphalt crew. He says he just got taught by the guys that used to do it.