Page 24 - Vol40 No3 Sept-Oct2022

FARRAGUT By Lisa Hood Skinner
PW Spotlight: Bud McKelvey

Town of Farragut Public Works Director

“A big part of Public Works is staying had been in codes enforcement and
ahead of the curve.” directing the Public Works “until my
That’s how Town of Farragut Public boss came to me in 1993 and told me
Works Director Bud McKelvey describes that somebody needed to lead the
a large part of leading his department. Public Works area.”
And he’s been doing it since 1987, “We didn’t really define Public Works
even before a “formal” Public Works in those terms. Two full-time guys were
department existed in the town. given an old gray truck, and I went to
“Earlier this year, I was tricked into Kmart and bought them rakes, brooms,
attending a town board meeting to drills, and tools to help them do their
talk about something, and instead work. And that’s how I became the first
they surprised me with a certificate of Public Works Director,” he said.
appreciation for my 35 years,” he said. McKelvey said in 1987, “the Town of
“I was the town’s seventh hired fulltime Farragut had 6,800 citizens, and now
employee way back then.” there’s 23,000. We had a softball field and
The Father of Farragut Public Works a gravel parking lot. Now we have 50
He’s truly the “Father of Farragut’s acres of developed land and four parks.
That alone keeps our guys busy, and I’m
Public Works.” When he began with just trying to stay ahead of the curve
the town in 1987, there was no Public
Works Department…those types of that’s always coming,” he said. “We’re still
growing, still building subdivisions. A lot
services were contracted out. McKelvey
has changed out here.”

24 TPW September/October 2022