Jim Proce, the Public Works Director of Palm Bay, Florida, outlines strategies for enhancing community engagement and positive perceptions of public works agencies. He discusses the importance of outreach programs, networking, and self-promotion to build relationships with constituents and improve service delivery. The presentation emphasizes fun, interaction, and collaboration to foster a sense of community and make public works initiatives more effective.

1. Jim Proce
Your Friendly Neighborhood Public Works Director
Palm Bay, Florida
2008 APWA Congress - New Orleans
Tuesday – August 19, 2008
10: 00 AM

2.  Jim Proce, Your Friendly Neighborhood Public
Works Director, City of Palm Bay, Florida
 Involved with APWA
◦ National, Florida Chapter, Central Florida Branch &
Locally in our community
 Over 27 years background in Public Works and
Engineering
 Education
◦ BS – Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida
◦ MBA – University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
◦ Graduate Senior Executive Training Program - Harvard
University, Cambridge Mass.
 I love to ride my mountain bike, chase a ball, play
guitar, and talk to anyone who will listen… 

3.  Palm Bay, east coast of Florida
 100 square miles
 107,000 population
 $12M operating budget
 $15M community investment program
 Public Works is an APWA Accredited Agency

5. Well the program says…
Ever been ambushed at a public hearing or by the media?
Discover tried-and-true steps you can take to create a
positive perception of your agency and develop strong
relationships with residents, homeowners' associations,
the business community, and elected officials.
Learning Objectives:
By attending this session, participants will be better able
to:
Implement inexpensive community outreach programs.
Develop stronger positive relationships with constituents,
homeowner’s associations, council, management, staff,
and peers.
Identify and illustrate the value of self promotion,
marketing, and outreach programs in communities for
today’s multi-faceted public works organizations.

6.  In July of 2007, Jim Proce published “Connecting
with Your Community” in the APWA Reporter.
This article was published as a part of the
National Leadership and Management
Committee’s series on the “Baker’s Potluck”
which is a series of articles that cover many
leadership and managements techniques and
issues.
 This presentation will cover several easily
replicated, inexpensive programs, and (non-
technical) techniques that you can employ in your
community to make an impact for your
constituents.

7.  To show you a few things that worked for me
 To see what things you do
 To make some new friends
 Ask/answer questions
 To have some fun
 Do you have your ticket????
 Make sure you have one as you will need it
later on.

8.  Talk about basic methods/things we all do
 Stretch your comfort zones with things you
may not want to do or even think are silly
 Talk about advertising and marketing
 More guiltless self promotion
 Community outreach programs
 Find out what you guys do???
 Reading materials; reference; homework
 Q&A (a.k.a. open discussion)
 More stuff I don’t feel like listing

9.  Websites - these are great ways to get
information out there, but keep your site up-
to-date, active, and solicit input from your
visitors. Some of them actually have great
ideas.
 Great examples  www.palmbayflorida.org
 Tell me about yours!!!
 Do you look at other city websites?
◦ Ideas
◦ Inspiration
◦ Stuff you can steal and not get arrested!!!

10.  Newsletters –
◦ Create newsletters from your department!
◦ If you have a website you already have content so print it
out in a newsletter format.
◦ There are still some folks out there who don't surf the
Internet. (I can’t believe it either.)
◦ Distribute it to:
 Staff
 Neighbors
 Management
 Homeowners associations
 Anyone who will listen to you
◦ Get your message out there
◦ Blow your own horn loud and often.

11.  Yet More Paper –
◦ Postcards
◦ Flyers
◦ Brochures
◦ Satisfaction surveys
◦ Announce upcoming
projects, meetings,
and events

12.  Public Meetings –
◦ Engage your constituents
◦ Soliciting input every step of the way
◦ Before, during, after projects
◦ Handouts/giveaways

13.  And the winner is….

14.  Celebrations –
◦ Groundbreaking ceremonies
◦ Grand openings
◦ Project completion celebrations
◦ Related recognitions
 Tie these events in with things that will
interest kids.
 Give credit to those citizens, board members,
homeowners associations, and sidewalk
supervisors (I have hundreds of them)

15.  Cause someone told you to?
 I dunno?
 Huh????
 You tell me?????

16.  Provide info to constituents
 Recognize accomplishments
 Use every opportunity to find out
◦ What citizens want
◦ What citizens expect from you
◦ What value you are providing to your community
◦ What does this mean to your constituents
 Get to know citizens
 Give and get feedback
 Manage and control conflict (sounds painful)

17.  Interdepartmental Cooperation –
◦ Involvement with every department in your
organization
◦ Who knows when you might need to call in a favor?
◦ Why do this?
 By helping those folks out with their events and being
a part of the overall team you will be getting positive
exposure!
◦ Police Athletic League
◦ Parks events
◦ Police
◦ Fire
◦ How many here do not need a good reputation?

18.  Community Events & Meetings–
◦ Do you go to all of those community events, public
meetings, and city council meetings?
◦ You should!
◦ Show your face everywhere.
◦ Why?
◦ If your community can put a face with the name, you will
become someone that they know, a friend, a neighbor,
and someone they will eventually trust and support. If
you don't, you are just another bureaucrat eating up
their tax dollars.
◦ It is your choice what they will say about you and your
staff and how you spend their money...

19.  Residency –
◦ Do you live in your city? Show of hands…
◦ Sometimes it is pretty tough to argue the sensitive
issues with folks when you don't live in the
community you serve.
◦ If you can move into your jurisdiction DO IT!
◦ You will see your community from the inside and
not from the ivory tower.
◦ It goes a long way with folks when you can say, "I
live here too!”
◦ How committed are you?

20.  Networking –
◦ Contractors
◦ Developers
◦ Other public works folks in your area
◦ Fostering relationship with your peers and business
affiliations
 How much effort do you put towards these
relationships?

21.  Networking –
◦ Give out your cards
◦ Class participation time
 Get out your business card right now!
 Exchange with someone you do not know
 Write down facts about them on back of card
 Send an email later
 Look for them on the exhibit floor or next conference
 Make a date to meet later
◦ Introduce folks you know to others
◦ Ask questions and listen to answers
◦ Invite to them to your events
◦ Visit other Public Works Depts.
◦ Sign in sheet, get all email addresses, share with
everyone in room (Where is the sheet NOW???)

22.  Networking –
◦ Use listserves to distribute info about what you are
doing
◦ Are you Linkedin?
◦ Plaxo pulse?
◦ You Tube?
◦ http://www.youtube.com/pbpdpio
◦ Other virtual networks to get your message out
there

23.  Networking –
◦ Read the APWA Reporter – contact authors
◦ Use the infoNOW Communities
◦ “Ask Ann” Daniels a question, give her some tough
ones too so she has to dig really deep for an answer
 Where do your constituents get prioritized???
◦ Do you network with them?

24.  Homeowners Associations
◦ "Keep your friends close and your enemies even
closer.”
◦ Get to know them well
◦ Attend their meetings
◦ Send them a note or email periodically just to see
how things are going
◦ Give them the personal attention they crave
 Home Builders and Contractors Associations
 Chamber of Commerce
 Other civic organizations

25.  Feeding people during meetings actually
slows the barrage of abusive comments.
 “BIG MOUTH THEORY” says those folks who
want to yell at you are usually big eaters.
 Shove a hot dog in their mouth and they can't
whine as much.
 When your meeting is over you managed to
say what you had to say without constant
interruptions, they got a free meal, and
suddenly you are their best friend.

26.  The Picnic Table
◦ Outside of City Council
Chambers
 BBQ Grill
◦ We built a large trailer-mounted
BBQ grill that we use for these
meetings, pancake breakfasts,
and departmental events.
◦ We even lend the grill to not-
for-profit organizations and the
local schools for fundraisers in
the community so it serves a
public use.

27.  Task folks with assignments.
◦ Design the tasks so they turn out within your level
of tolerance.
◦ Fran decides where we plant trees . . .
 The Gospel according to John
◦ John thought his role in life was to make us crazy.
◦ He is now a part of our team and lobbies for us in
any forum that he possibly can.
◦ To show our appreciation he was awarded as our
"Volunteer of the Year" and was recognized at our
annual National Public Works Week Celebration.

28.  Adopt-a-Anything we have . . .
◦ Road
◦ Swale
◦ Park
◦ Roadside
◦ Pepper-busters (this is a Florida thing)
 We have over 90 citizen teams (adopt-a-road)
 We have an annual recognition and BBQ
 T-Shirts
 Thousands of free labor hours
 Get out your tickets again . . .

29.  And the winner is….

30.  The CLUB or the CLean Up Blitz is a proactive improvement program that
spends one day in a targeted area in neighborhoods doing a thorough
neighborhood cleanup.
 It is an opportunity for city staff and the neighbors to work together, and
to get to know one another, and to pitch in to make a difference.
 This program addresses everything from filling potholes to crime
prevention.
 Prior to work being done in a neighborhood, a notification is delivered to
the residents notifying them about the CLUB's arrival; signs are posted
delineating the boundaries of the target area.
 A survey of the city properties and rights-of-way in the neighborhood is
done a week before work begins to create a checklist of items to be
addressed. If there are items that cannot be completed during CLUB day,
they are referred to the appropriate city divisions and departments and
added to their project schedules.
 At the end of the CLUB, we all kick back and look at the
accomplishments of the team effort and eat lunch together.

32.  And the winner is….

33.  BEST is the Beautification
Enhancement Strike Team
 This is a team we formed to
declare war on litter.
 These guys keep our city
streets clean and act as
ambassadors to the
community.
 While cleaning up the city
streets they also engage the
citizens, distribute
information about upcoming
events, and promote our
award-winning adopt-a-road
program.
 800,000 & 61,000?

34.  How do these folks treat you?
 Be their friend, don’t ever insult them…
 If something goes wrong, take that bullet.
 When it goes great, seek positive press.
 Give them the scoop, give them access to
info, respond to them promptly, and keep
them informed.
 Write the release for them to make sure they
get it right.

35.  Logo –
◦ New logo and tagline
◦ Plastered it all over everything
◦ On vehicles, clothing, buildings,
billboards, on street banners
◦ Gadgets, widgets, and giveaways,
everything short of tattoos on key staff
◦ Shameless self-promotion to let
everyone know that Palm Bay is the
“Perfect Place to Grow, Work, Play and
Live”.
◦ This effort has resulted in community
pride never before realized.

40.  Project Signs –
◦ All projects, identifying the
project name and scope,
funding source and cost,
duration, council members and
our contact info.
◦ This lets folks know we are out
there and what we are up to.
◦ It sometimes results in phone
calls, but often they are
appreciative of the info that
they may not have otherwise
gotten.

41.  Median Signs/Public Service
Announcements (with a twist)
◦ Large 4 ft. by 4 ft. (and sometimes 8 ft.
by 4 ft.) signs in our medians
◦ All over the city
◦ For upcoming events, council meeting
television schedules, public service
announcements
◦ Inexpensive and they reach out to
thousands of folks daily.

42.  Awards
◦ APWA National, Chapter, Branch
◦ Create your own (City & Pubic
Works)
◦ Other organizations
 ASCE
 APA
 Keep America Beautiful; KBB
 National League of Cities
 Many others
 APWA Accreditation/Self
Assessment #51

43.  Holiday Parade - Each year our department
participates in our community's holiday
parade. In recent years we have built large
floats and had our live Public Works band
playing holiday songs with a rock twist. It is a
chance to see the other side of our staff out
there having fun and celebrating with
everyone in the community. And yes we really
can play those instruments!

45.  Charitable Events –
◦ American Cancer Society's Relay
for Life
◦ Get Arrested for MDA
◦ Provide Thanksgiving dinners for
needy families in our community
◦ Participate in payroll deductions
for the United Way
◦ Cystic Fibrosis
 How does this benefit your
department?
◦ Puts you on the same level as
“Guns and Hoses” (that is police
and fire)
RoaDKiLL

46.  APWA National Public Works Week
◦ Provide an opportunity for the community to come out
and have fun with your staff.
◦ Include activities for kids of all ages
◦ Educational demonstrations
◦ Live entertainment
◦ Informational booths
◦ Heavy equipment displays
◦ Free food and refreshments
◦ Get support from your city council
◦ Staff volunteer their time to participate in this event each
year
◦ http://www.apwa.net/About/NPWW/

50.  School Career Days
◦ Invite middle school students to spend part of their
day with your staff.
◦ Give tours of your department
◦ Question-and-answer session, have a snack, are
issued a few souvenirs, and leave with a newfound
appreciation and knowledge about public works.
◦ Maybe one of these kids will turn out to be a public
works leader one day.
 Summer Help Programs…
◦ Summer help… some are not…

51.  Dr. Robert Behn, Harvard School of Govt. –
articles
◦ http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/TheBehnReport/index.
html
 Tie your events to other events
◦ This guarantees attendance and success
 Celebrate successes no mater how big or
small
 Share your message with everyone in the
community

52.  John Ostrowski – Everything You Wanted to Know
to Be a Public Works Director
 John Ostrowski – Survive and Thrive: Five Things
a Public Official Needs to Understand
 James Nichols – Public Works Management:
Things They Never Taught in School
 Malcolm Gladwell – The Tipping Point: How Little
Things Can Make a Big Difference
 APWA Leadership and Management Committee –
Core Competencies
 Dr. Bob Behn; Harvard University -
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/TheBehnReport/ind
ex.html

54.  And the winner is….

55.  Parting shots . . . Homework assignment!
 Try something at home and let me know how it
turns out procej@palmbayflorida.org I would
really love to hear your stories.
 Exercise common sense. If you think it is stupid
it probably is, but if you think it is fun it probably
is too!
 Listen to people, they are not an interruption to
your work, they are your work, and if you don’t
think so, you are in the wrong business.
 Thanks for coming! Enjoy the rest of the week!
 Fill out the evals!!!! Please!!!!

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Print-Friendly Version
THE BAKER'S POTLUCK
Connecting with Your Community
Jim Proce
Public Works Director
City of Palm Bay, Florida
Presenter, 2007 APWA Congress
In April 2006, the APWA Leadership and Management Committee concluded its series of articles on public works leadership entitled "The Baker's Menu." This was the second series
of articles (the first being "The Baker's Dozen") that discuss various leadership and management topics of interest to APWA members. The committee's current series—entitled "The
Baker's Potluck"—touches on a variety of leadership and management topics, many of which have been suggested by members. Included in this issue is the ninth in the series
recommended by the committee. For more information please contact Ann Daniels, APWA Director of Technical Services, at (800) 848-APWA or adaniels@apwa.net.
When I was asked to write this article on "Connecting with Your Community" I thought sure, I'd love to do my part for APWA, but then I thought, hmmmm...what do I have to offer? I
am just this talkative public works guy from Palm Bay, Florida. And besides, APWA has some really good stuff on community outreach out there by more experienced people than
me. There's National Public Works Week and all sorts of "how to's" in the APWA bookstore. So, I thought, should I perhaps defer to one of those APWA authors? Then I hopped on
my mountain bike and went for a ride to think about it.
As I peddled around town looking at drainage structures, visiting construction projects, and checking out pothole complaints, it dawned on me almost immediately: I have a few stories
that I can share, things that you can copy, borrow, and even steal, that are low cost, common sense things, easy to do, and some that are actually fun to do, too. So I gathered my
thoughts and started typing. Those who know me well, know that I like to communicate (er...talk), so this is quite the challenge to keep it around 1200-1500 words (sorry Ann Daniels,
not gonna happen). So here goes...
In the beginning there was public works, and the public works process was that we all worked our tails off and, as long as you did your job, no one cared or noticed. The more
invisible you were the better. It was when you didn't do what was expected of you that things got squirrelly and the complaints (now we call them service requests and citizen
inquiries) poured in, and everyone in town got to know who you were and that was where the real pain began. Think about it for a moment...haven't we all had that moment in our city
council meeting or while reading the local newspaper where you felt as if someone was ripping out your spine as they completely twisted your words, or worse yet they just blatantly
lied about something you told them, and of course as always your intentions were most honorable?
Why weren't theirs???
So what did you do?
Well, aside from biting a hole through your own lip, you probably took the bullet, each and every time, didn't you? (That is, if continued employment was one of your personal
interests.) Well, to tell you the nasty truth, it is what we do and it is part of the job. After a while you get that thick skin thing going and the pain eventually lessens and you fall into the
dismal abyss of complacency. Oh no!
Aside from that thick skin we all have to develop as public works folks these days, we also need to develop that bulletproof vest if we are to survive and be successful in this
business, while avoiding the complacency that often results in our demise. But how you do this is not by taking the Genghis Khan scorched earth approach that prohibits you from
taking any crap from anyone (although there is a place for that too—different article). Shooting back at those shooting at you seldom results in you not getting hit too and
subsequently bleeding out. You have to become the marketing and promotions expert, the neighbor and friend to everyone in the community, that superhero problem solver that
everyone trusts and depends upon to do whatever it takes to get it done, even if it isn't your job, so someone else can take the credit and you can take the blame (phew!), and yes,
you still have be the fall guy and that big target for all the crazies who want someone to pick on—and you still can't shoot back, as much as you might want to.
Well, as we all know, public works folks typically haven't been good about marketing and self-promotion; many of us seem to fear it, avoid it, and leave the accolades to our
counterparts (let's call them guns and hoses) who have it down to an art form with all the charity work, volunteer work, and—oh yeah—that saving of lives thing that makes them so
popular. The problem is if we tried to follow their lead it may get us executed which goes against that continued employment goal. Let's face it, we are the Rodney Dangerfields of
public service, although it does not have to be that way!
So it takes a bit more savvy and a lot of hard work to get similar results as those guns and hoses guys, to get the respect of the community. Besides, no one wants to see public
works guys standing in intersections begging for loose change for some charity. Shouldn't we be out fixing a pothole or something somewhere?
In today's public works departments you have to "connect with your community" and you have to do it all and more, with less. So in my case, being the 11th Public Works Director in
the last 25 years in my city, I thought I better get this right and right quick.
There are all of the obvious things that many of you have already made good use of to connect with your communities. Let me bore you for a moment and get those out of the way
first.

57. Websites - these are great ways to get information out there, but keep your site up-to-date, active, and solicit input from your visitors. Some of them actually have great ideas.
Newsletters - Create newsletters from your department! If you have a website you already have content so print it out in a newsletter format. Believe it or not, there are still some
folks out there who don't surf the Internet. Distribute it to your staff, to your neighbors, to your management, to homeowners associations, and to anyone who will listen or read it. Get
that message out there and blow that horn loud and often.
Yet More Paper - Postcards, flyers, brochures, and satisfaction surveys (yes, what a pain it is to do those...ick) notifying people of upcoming projects, meetings, and events, asking
for the input, managing the conflict, and get this, letting them know what is actually going on with that multi-million-dollar three-year-long road widening project (inside joke) in their
front yard. What great concepts...
Public Meetings - Engage your constituents by setting up public involvement meetings, soliciting input every step of the way. Yes, this hurts because you know what is "best,"
especially if you are an engineer (okay, so maybe that comment was uncalled for), but when these folks tie themselves to a tree that you are trying to remove to install that sidewalk
or pedestrian bridge that YOU think they need so badly, that engineering license won't get you anywhere. Get the pain over with early in the process. The longer you leave that
bandage on the more it hurts when you rip it off.
Celebrations - Groundbreaking ceremonies, grand openings, project completion celebrations, and related recognitions are a must. Try to tie these events in with things that will
interest kids. If you are doing something that is for the community, having the little ones entertained usually results in a successful event. And while you are at it give credit to those
citizens, board members, homeowners associations, and even those sidewalk supervisors at all of these events, even if they drove you insane the whole time. These folks can and
will consume you on the next project if you do not.
Okay, so those are a few of the obvious things that you may already do, but what are some other things we can do to perhaps stretch the limits of your comfort zones? Well, I have a
few simple ideas that may make you think:
Internal Cooperation - These days involvement with every department in your city (or county) is a must. (Now you are saying, "Is this guy nuts or what?") In the development of our
departmental strategic plan, our staff decided it is part of our mission to make other departments better. Forget the boundaries that typically go up. I am sure you heard it before:
"These are our funds and we can't share them with you, blah, blah, blah, etc." Well, make that sacrifice and you will develop the reputation for being the go-to guy not only in your
organization but in your community. Who knows when you might need to call in a favor?
And how is this connecting with your community? By helping those folks out with their events and being a part of the overall team you will be getting positive exposure! When the
Police Athletic League needs a coach, do it; when someone needs cooks for a pancake breakfast at the firehouse or a parks event, send your staff to cook. Sure, those other folks
get the credit, but don't you work for the same community? Eventually you will be noticed and appreciated for your efforts.
Community Events - Do you go to all of those community events, public meetings, and city council meetings? You should! Show your face everywhere. If your community can put a
face with the name, you will become someone that they know, a friend, a neighbor, and someone they will eventually trust and support. If you don't, you are just another bureaucrat
eating up their tax dollars. It is your choice what they will say about you: "I pay your salary!" or "That guy Jim really doesn't get paid enough for what he does for our community."
Residency - Do you live in your city? Prior to becoming the Public Works Director I did not live in my city. But when appointed I felt that living here was important, so I sold my
beautiful house on the acre out in the country and moved. It is pretty tough to argue the sensitive issues with folks when you don't live in the community you serve. I realize there are
exceptions in some more affluent communities since we may not be able to afford to live in some areas, but if you can move into your jurisdiction DO IT! You will see your community
from the inside and not from the ivory tower. It goes a long way with folks when you can say, "I live here too!"
Networking - And what about networking? I would bet that most of you network to some degree. You probably know all the contractors and developers in the area, possibly some
other public works folks in your area. Or maybe you go to APWA branch or chapter meetings, read the APWA Reporter, use the infoNOW Communities, ask Ann Daniels a question,
etc. So if you spend all that time fostering relationships with your peers and business affiliations, where do your constituents get prioritized? Do you spend an equal amount of time
networking with them? Well, I am here to tell you that you shouldn't. YOU SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEM. The investment will pay you back more than you could
possibly imagine.
Homeowners Associations - You know that old saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer." Well, calling your constituents enemies probably isn't politically
correct, but you get the idea. These guys are the folks who toss you hand grenades at city council meetings. Get to know them; attend their meetings, give them the personal
attention they crave, and instead of trying to kill you off they will defend you when others try to kill you off. The same points apply to the local Home Builders and Contractors
Associations if you have those in your communities.
The Picnic Table - For years I have been going to City Council meetings and noticed the most important "meeting before the meeting" where all of these neighborhood folks would
mill around and plot their strategies for their visit to the podium. Well, there was no place to sit outside of the council chambers and I thought, who wants to have the "meeting"
standing up? So I bought a few picnic tables and I brought my pizza to the table and I sat there and listened in and eventually began to engage these folks. The result is I get the
scoop first-hand and get things done before they hit the podium. It is another step towards becoming that "go-to" guy. It has gotten to the point where these guys give me a laundry
list every other Thursday night in lieu of going to the podium. My staff thinks I am crazy but these guys are actually saving us time. They act as a clearing house for their
neighborhoods. It reduces the phones calls and the follow-up we would normally have to do. And all of these items are things we would have to address anyway, so what appears to
be a special favor is simply us doing what we should be doing anyway and I have all of these "inspectors" working for me for free.
Food - Remember those public involvement meetings I mentioned? Well, I found that feeding people during those meetings actually slows the barrage of abusive comments. While
there may not be any statistics to support my theory, I have found that those folks who want to yell at you are usually big eaters, too. So shove a hot dog in their mouth and they can't
whine as much, and when your meeting is over you managed to say what you had to say without constant interruptions, they got a free meal, and suddenly you are their best friend.
We went so far as to build a large trailer-mounted BBQ grill that we use for these meetings, pancake breakfasts, and departmental events. We even lend the grill to not-for-profit
organizations and the local schools for fundraisers in the community so it serves a public use.
Volunteers - Task folks with assignments. I have one former council member who we let place trees in our medians. We worked out the sight triangles ahead of time, but we gave
her a set of plans and some stakes and said, "Have at it." Now she is one of our greatest supporters and we task her with other things that actually get done.
Then we have another citizen who has been instrumental in getting us through a rather dicey dredging project. When our staff ran into what seemed to be impossible regulatory
obstacles, enter our buddy John. He was able to push buttons that we would otherwise be unable to do with political leaders and legislators. The result is that John, who thought his
role in life was to make us crazy, is now a part of our team and lobbies for us in any forum that he possibly can. To show our appreciation he is our "Volunteer of the Year" and was
recognized at our annual National Public Works Week Celebration.
Newspaper/Media - How do these folks treat you? Well, they treat me as if I am their friend. Why? Because I am. Don't get me wrongif something goes wrong, I will take that bullet
again. But when it goes great I expect them to give me the positive press too. Our organization has a great relationship with the media. We give them the scoop, give them access to
info, respond to them promptly, and keep them informed. During a recent project I even wrote the release for them to make sure they got it right. At times they have even printed my
responses as a guest editorial.
Neighborhood Cleanup Programs - We have several neighborhood cleanup programs that get us noticed. The most notable is the CLUB. The CLUB or CLean Up Blitz is a
proactive improvement program that spends one day in a targeted area in neighborhoods doing a thorough neighborhood cleanup. It is an opportunity for city staff and the neighbors
to work together, and to get to know one another, and to pitch in to make a difference. This program addresses everything from filling potholes to crime prevention.
Prior to work being done in a neighborhood, a notification is delivered to the residents notifying them about the CLUB's arrival; signs are posted delineating the boundaries of the
target area. A survey of the city properties and rights-of-way in the neighborhood is done a week before work begins to create a checklist of items to be addressed. If there are items
that cannot be completed during CLUB day, they are referred to the appropriate city divisions and departments and added to their project schedules. At the end of the CLUB, we all
kick back and look at the accomplishments of the team effort and eat lunch together.
Then we have the BEST. The BEST what? BEST is the Beautification Enhancement Strike Team, a team we formed to declare war on litter. These guys keep our city streets clean

58. and act as ambassadors to the community. While cleaning up the city streets they also engage the citizens, distribute information about upcoming events, and promote our award-
winning adopt-a-road program.
Advertising/Promotion:
Logo - We have advertised and promoted our city in many ways over the recent years. We developed a new logo and tagline and we have plastered it all over everything. It is on our
vehicles, our clothing, our buildings, on billboards, on street banners, and all sorts of gadgets, widgets, and giveaways, everything short of tattoos on key staff. Shameless self-
promotion to let everyone know that Palm Bay is the perfect place to grow, work, play and live. This effort has resulted in community pride never before realized.
Project Signs - Do you advertise and post your projects? We put signs up for all projects, identifying the project name and scope, funding source and cost, duration, council
members and our contact info. This lets folks know we are out there and what we are up to. It sometimes results in phone calls, but often they are appreciative of the info that they
may not have otherwise gotten.
Median Signs/Public Service Announcements (with a twist) - These are more signs to make the engineers crazy. We place large 4 ft. by 4 ft. (and sometimes 8 ft. by 4 ft.) signs
in our medians all over the city letting folks know of upcoming events, council meeting television schedules, public service announcements, and just about anything else we want to
let folks know. These are relatively inexpensive and they reach out to thousands of folks daily.
Other Community Outreach Programs:
Holiday Parade - Each year our department participates in our community's holiday parade. In recent years we have built large floats and had our live Public Works band playing
holiday songs with a rock twist. It is a chance to see the other side of our staff out there having fun and celebrating with everyone in the community. And yes we really can play those
instruments!
National Public Works Week - Each year our department hosts a National Public Works Week Celebration. We provide an opportunity for the community to come out and have fun
with our staff. The event includes activities for kids of all ages (and the adults too), educational demonstrations, live entertainment, informational booths, heavy equipment displays,
and free food and refreshments. The event is supported by our city council, and our staff volunteers their own time to participate in this event each year, giving up their weekend to
give back to the community.
School Career Days - Annually we invite middle school students to spend part of their day with our staff. They are given tours of our department and they are suited up in hard hats
and safety vests and escorted throughout our facility where they are shown daily operations in all of the operational areas. They participate in a question-and-answer session, have a
snack, are issued a few souvenirs, and leave with a newfound appreciation and knowledge about public works. Maybe one of these kids will turn out to be a public works leader one
day.
Charitable Events - We don't do the boot drives like the fire guys, but we do the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and Get Arrested for MDA, provide Thanksgiving dinners
for needy families in our community, and participate in payroll deductions for the United Way. We have all been blessed to be a part of a great organization and this is just one way to
pay back the community that has treated us all so well.
Okay, so hopefully you find some of this useful and maybe you'll use it too. Sorry there won't be any fancy quote from some famous dead person at the end of this article, but I'll leave
you with this:
Remember when all else fails, and it will, your job as a public works superhero is to take the bullet and love every minute of it. You may never get the recognition you deserve. (Who
are we kidding, you won't.) The reward is in knowing you made a difference in your community, even if you are the only one who knows it. When you finally make that commitment
and connect with your community you will know it...
...and if you are lucky, so will they.
As for me, I have to get on my bike and ride some more to see what is going on around town. You should do the same.
Jim Proce, Your Friendly Neighborhood Public Works Director, can be reached at (321) 953-8996 or procej@palmbayflorida.org.
The Baker's Potluck Topics
Oral Presentation Skills
Coexisting with the Unions
Interviewing for the Right Skills
Performance Evaluations
Focus on Your Strengths
A Leader's Legacy
Identifying the Skills Needed for Crew Leaders and First-Time Supervisors
Mentoring for the Future
Leading through Change
Determining Your Level of Service
Connecting with Your Community
Creative Problem Solving
Creative Recruitment
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