Page 24 - May-June 2023 Vol 41 No 1

HENDERSONVILLE By Sarah Lock
PW Spotlight: Sarah Lock

Public Works Director

Tell us about yourself, your career, and you have, and what departments and work
your family. your team does. Highlight a new project
I was born in Utah but grew up in Vero you are implementing or working on.
Beach, Fla., for the most part. My mother My official title is Public Works Director
is a meticulous bookkeeper and my father, for the City of Hendersonville and, in
who passed in September 2021, was in short, I direct all Public Works operations
construction. I spent a lot of time with in Hendersonville. More specifically, the
each of them while they worked when I duties I perform are outlined below:
was young, and learned a considerable • Assigns, directs, supervises, evaluates,
amount about their responsibilities and and coordinates all daily Public Works
their work ethic. I went to construction activities including but not limited
sites with my dad as a child, so I grew up to: Engineering, Roads, Stormwater,
comfortable in that atmosphere. Building Maintenance.
When I graduated high school, I was • Develops, administers, and monitors
convinced I would be a doctor and went department budgets, policies and
to Vanderbilt for a year before taking a procedures, short- and long-term goals. Property Acquisition Process, Mosquito
break for life, marriage, and children. I’m • Oversight and coordination of Abatement Program, annual Draining
happily married with five children aged 12 contracted services; drafts and bids Improvement Program; develops Main
to 25 years old. service contracts; develops contract Street Christmas decoration plan.
During that family building time, I documents; administers and issues • Oversight and coordination of
worked as an Administration Manager notices to proceed with work; cancels emergency response and directs
of an Urgent Care Clinic in Florida while and terminates contracts; monitors necessary tasks to meet emergency
going to school part-time to get core quality of contracted work. needs during situations such as roadway
classes out of the way. When I neared the • Oversight and coordination of capital failures, natural disasters, storms, ice,
end of my core class requirements, and projects; develops feasibility reports snow, flooding, vehicle accidents, or
after working in the medical field, I wasn’t with cost estimates; reviews and other situations.
sure what I was really going to do. recommends site selections; acquires • Monitors inventory of department
My brother, who knows me very well, project funding; conducts project bid equipment and supplies; directs the
recommended civil engineering. After process. maintenance and repair of department
looking into the field and coursework, it • Oversight and coordination of planning equipment and vehicles.
was an appealing path. I started full-time and transportation operations; prepares • Serves as the staff liaison and
at Tennessee Technological University in Transportation Improvement Program. representative on city boards and
the Fall of 2010 with three young children. • Oversight and coordination of traffic commissions. Represents the city in
The youngest was 4 weeks old when and roads operations and activities; a variety of public settings. Prepares
classes began. I made Dean’s List every supervises traffic signal system reports and gives presentations in
semester and graduated with my Bachelor operations; summarizes accident public settings.
of Civil Engineering in December of 2012. statistics; directs traffic sign and Our department currently budgets
I consider this to be one of my greatest marking placement. for 40 staff members. The Public Works
accomplishments. • Directs the repair and installation of Department for Hendersonville is
Out of school, I worked as a Structural streetlights and signals, traffic signs, and comprised of the following divisions/
Stress Analyst for an aerospace company traffic control devices; prepares roadway responsibilities:
for two years before accepting a position beautification projects; implements • ADA: ADA transition plan with
with the City of Hendersonville as the bike and pedestrian grants; develops on-going barrier removal, manage
Assistant City Engineer within the Public and supervises Paving and Pavement grievance procedures and coordinate
Works Department in 2015. Once I was Management Program. all ADA related compliance issues
licensed in 2017, I was promoted to Traffic • Oversight and coordination of for public programs, processes, and
Engineer and then promoted to Assistant solid waste operation and activities; infrastructure.
PW Director/City Engineer in early administers Limb Removal Program; • Stormwater Utility: Public stormwater
2021. Later that year, I was promoted to conducts Landfill Remediation infrastructure maintenance, MS4
Public Works Director. Program. compliance and flood management/
Share your official title and what duties • Oversight and coordination of a variety mitigation.
you perform currently. How many staff of projects and programs; oversees • Roads Division: Right-of-way
24 TPW May/June 2023