Director of Public Works
Mission Statement
Section 4-04 of the Home Rule Charter of the City
of Alexandria charges the Director of Public Works
with the administration of engineering services, contract
construction work, maintenance of streets, and drainage.
Also included are inspections, licensing and permits,
for public buildings. Transit operations and sanitation
are also included under Public Works.
Function Description
The Director of Public Works manages and coordinates
all public work activities for the city, including:
Streets and Drainage, Maintenance of Recreational Facilities
and the Zoo, Engineering, Public Buildings, Municipal
Transit System, Building Inspector, Motor Pool, Service
Shops, Traffic Signals, Sanitation, and Community
Centers.
Responsibilities include: management of the capital
projects of public works, advising the Mayor and City
Council on city operations, and improving operational
efficiencies.
Contact
Director of Public Works, Merriel Lawson
phone: (318) 441-6010
Email
Director of Public Works
Animal Shelter
Mission Statement
To provide the public with prompt service by responding
to their daily complaints on animals that are running
at large in the city. To provide for the safety and
well being of the citizens of Alexandria by removing
animals that might endanger them. To remove dead animals
from city roadways and other areas according to health
standards. To educate the public on responsible pet
ownership, and animal safety issues through seminars
and programs in the schools. To promote through public
relations all national animal concerns sponsored by
HSUS. To offer animals for adoption through newspaper
coverage and TV programs. To euthanize in a safe humane
way unwanted and stray animals. To shelter, feed and
euthanize all parish and incorporated area animals.
To follow up on all adoptions to make sure all animals
are sterilized.
Function Description
There are currently two Impounding Officers and one
Attendant capturing between 25 to 35 animals a day.
These animals are fed and cared for while being offered
for sale to the public. The shelter responds to between
45 to 50 calls per day by setting traps and impounding
animals running at large. The shelter staff in cooperation
with a veterinarian euthanizes approximate 100 - 200
animals per week. The shelter staff responds to between
5 - 10 calls per day on animal abuse and cruelty cases.
The investigating officers have approximate 5-7 ongoing
court cases at any one time. The shelter staff makes
2-3 visits per week to schools and civic organizations
to talk about responsible pet care and safety issues.
Our functions and goals and responsibilities are being
tripled by new parish and outlying incorporated areas
utilizing our shelter. We also monitor all lost pets
in the city and try to find them and/or return to
owner.
Contact
Animal Shelter
phone: (318) 473-1228
Building Inspector
Mission Statement
To maintain a high standard of residential and commercial
construction inside the city limits by keeping projects
in compliance with applicable codes and to assist
contractors and the general public in all related
matters.
Function Description
The Building Inspectors duties include: review of
drawings and specifications for construction projects,
issue building permits for new construction, remodeling,
swimming pools, mobile home placement, house-moving
and demolition. The Building Inspector conducts on-site
inspections to insure contractors work is in compliance
with building codes and regulations. This individual
also advises property owners and other people on matters
concerning building codes and maintains records of
permits and inspections made.
Contact
Building Inspector
phone: (318) 473-1229
Email
Building Inspector
Carpenter Shop
Mission Statement
To perform regular maintenance, repair and renovation
to city buildings as needed or requested.
Function Description
The Carpenter Shop is responsible for the up keep
of buildings, office space, playgrounds, police department
buildings, fire department buildings, ballpark concession
stands and pressboxes, Zoo buildings and all other
wood frame structures owned and maintained by the
City of Alexandria. The carpenter shop also builds
tables, bookcases, shelving, map racks and map frames.
Contact
Carpenter Shop
phone: (318) 441-6023
Email
the Carpenter Shop
Central Facility
Mission Statement
To enhance the city’s ability to improve productivity
and performance by centralizing the city’s work
efforts at one facility therefore more effectively
assigning equipment and manpower to the overall work
effort.
It is also the goal of this department to effectively
enforce various City ordinances and to provide positive
recreational and educational activities to at-risk
youth by working in conjunction with neighborhood
groups and churches.
Function Description
This department id responsible for the day-to-day
operations of all Public Works departments, including
total budgetary control, maintenance of the buildings
and grounds for the City’s consolidated facility,
enforcement of City’s codes in regards to high
weeds, litter, and abandoned cars, and the handling
of all complaints in regards to public works. In addition,
the department manager oversees security requirements
for the facility. This department also oversees the
Summer Parks Program which provides positive recreational
and educatonal activities for at-risk youth.
Departments located at the facility include the Central
Warehouse, Motor Pool, ATRANS, Sanitation, Streets and Drainage, Water, Gas, Traffic, Maint of Public Bldg,
Purchasing, Utility Services, Risk Management, City
Nurse, and the EEOC.
Contact
Email
Central Facility
Engineering Department
Mission Statement
The engineering Department’s function is to
provide the administration, City Council, and citizens
with maps, records, and files concerning widths of
rights-of-ways and easements, municipally owned property,
benchmark locations and elevations; street name and
location; drainage facilities; review construction
projects; maintain records on parks and recreational
facilities and bridges; enter all pertinent information
into CAD System; provide usable estimates; permits
from the Corp of Engineers on all Capital Drainage
Projects; participate in planning and/or design for
capital improvement planning and/or projects; work
with all other city departments on maintenance and
improvement projects concerning existing city facilities,
provide plans, specifications, surveying, inspection
and processing for various projects including streets,
drainage, utilities and parks for the City of Alexandria;
meet with LDOTD and FHWA officials to discuss funding
of Urban System Projects meeting LDOTD and FHWA requirements,
coordinating plans between the consultants and LDOTD
and FHWA officials to discuss funding of Urban System
Projects meeting LDOTD and FHWA requirements, coordinating
plans between the consultants and LDOTD and FHWA officials;
secure Wet Lands.
Function Description
The Engineering Department handles numerous citizen
complaints and questions, daily coordinates various
construction activities. Our engineering techniques
update the city limits and zoning maps on an on-going
basis and update various other maps and records. They
also draw plans for various projects, provide assistance
for citizens on various matters, provide charts, graphs
and maps for administration and council (as required),
index and file maps and drawings, update drainage,
street numbers and subdivision maps. The survey crew
provides services from construction layout to staking
and/or locating right-of ways and easements, as well
as maintaining all city benchmarks. They also secure
data for the preparation of Right-of-Way Maps by the
Drafting Department for Urban System Projects. The
construction inspector maintains constant check on
consulting engineers’ projects and in-house
designed projects. The secretary keeps up with the
enormous amount of correspondence, reports, filing,
and phone calls that flow through this office on a
daily basis. The engineers must see that the previously
mentioned work is assigned and completed, as well
as design and supervise city projects; handle citizens’
complaints and questions; and assist the administration
and council on other matters as required.
Contact
Engineering
phone: (318) 473-1170
Email
Engineering
Maintenance of Public Buildings
Mission Statement
To maintain, repair and renovate public buildings
and structures, and provide custodial service and
maintenance for City Hall, Convention Hall, and the
Community Centers.
Function Description
The Maintenance of Public Facilities Department is
responsible for general structural of repair and maintenance
of all city facilities, as well as the maintenance
of all mechanical systems.
Contact
Maintenance of Public Buildings
phone: (318) 441-6023
Email
Maintenance of Public Buildings
Carpenter Shop
Mission Statement
To perform regular maintenance, repair and renovation
to city buildings as needed or requested.
Function Description
The Carpenter Shop is responsible for the up keep
of buildings, office space, playgrounds, police department
buildings, fire department buildings, ballpark concession
stands and pressboxes, Zoo buildings and all other
wood frame structures owned and maintained by the
City of Alexandria. The carpenter shop also builds
tables, bookcases, shelving, map racks and map frames.
Contact
Carpenter Shop
phone: (318) 441-6023
Email
the Carpenter Shop
Motor Pool
Mission Statement
The Motor Pool objectives for the FY 1999-2000 are
to continue to exceed present level of service and
communication that the Motor Pool Department as a
whole has achieved this past 1999-2000 fiscal year
with all departments and employees.
Function Description
The Motor Pool serves as a centralize garage providing
mechanical and body repairs, fuel and oil disbursements
and wrecker services to approximately 936 city owned
vehicles and pieces of equipment.
The Motor Pool also provides information on all vehicles/equipment
owned by the city. Through the daily input of information
process into RTA. Which has the capabilities to generate
detail reports on preventive maintenance/cost/usage/history
which are required by all division/department heads
in maintaining records on vehicle maintenance or budget
control within their area.
Other services provided by Motor Pool are fabrication/welding,
body/paint vehicle repairs, services to all city departments,
and monitoring/disposal of waste oils, hazardous materials,
and used tires per the required EPA guidelines for
the State of LA.
Contact
Motor Pool (318) 441-6157
Email
the Motor Pool
Municipal Transit
Mission Statement
The mission of ATRANS is to improve the quality of
life of the citizens of Alexandria by providing a
dependable means of transportation for those who do
not own a personal vehicle or for those who require
alternative means of transportation. This will be
accomplished by creating a transit system and complimentary
paratransit system that is dependable, yet affordable
to all clients.
Function Description
The municipal transit system operates eight fixed
routes throughout the city limits of Alexandria and
Pineville as well as two specialized curb-to-curb
complimentary paratransit vans for the disabled clients
in the area. The bus department maintains the fleet
via an in- house maintenance department. The daily
operations of ATRANS are Monday - Saturday from 6:00
AM to 7:00 PM. The eight routes are designed to be
rider friendly and are equipped with special equipment
to make boarding, riding, and alighting more safer.
Contact
Bus Department
phone: (318) 441-6092 or (318) 441-6086
Email
Municipal Transit
Recreational Facilities Maintenance
Mission Statement
To provide for a properly maintained system of playgrounds,
ball parks, and other recreational facilities available
to all citizens for active and passive recreation.
Function Description
The Recreational Facilities Maintenance Department
is a service organization that performs maintenance
and repair work to support recreational and other
competitive activities for the City involving golf
courses, soccer fields, and ball fields.
Contact
Recreation
phone: (318) 473-1130
Sanitation Department
Mission Statement
To thoroughly clean all streets of garbage and trash.
Also garbage will be picked up in the alley-ways on
some routes. To provide some pick-up at the door for
the elderly and the disabled. To offer the City of
Alexandria residents the best service at the minimum
cost. To attain a better pick-up and disposal system
and a better recording system of daily operating and
maintenance procedures.
Function Description
The Sanitation Department is responsible for the collection
of refuse (garbage) and class 3 debris (limbs &
bulky items), from city residences and some commercial
customers and delivery to the dump site. Refuse (garbage)
is collected from each customer twice each week. However,
holidays may effect the twice a week pick up. On each
Wednesday small piles of trash will be picked up except
for the weeks with holidays. We also furnish man power
and equipment to other city departments for removal
of debris and garbage.
Contact
Sanitation Superintendent
phone: (318) 441-6080
Streets and Drainage Department
Mission Statement
To insure the health and safety of the citizens of
Alexandria through the cleaning and repairing of streets
and the maintenance of drains, ditches and canals.
To provide a properly maintained system of parks,
greenbelts and trails available to all citizens and
maintain city right of ways.
Function Description
Street cleaning: Weather permitting, the
street sweepers operate daily to insure that city
streets are free of dirt, leaves, debris, and haul
off for disposal. (Includes immediately after parades).
Street repair and construction:
The street repair crews maintain the city streets
to include surface treatment (chip seal) and overlay.
Also corrects street failures including base, panels,
sidewalks, handicap ramps, curbs and gutters, constructs
catch basins, drainage boxes, footings for playground
equipment, patches potholes with asphalt and aggregate,
grades and maintains alleys, gravel streets, parking
lots, and street shoulders.
Parks maintenance and improvements:
The parks crew maintains 55 separate locations that
include seeding, fertilizing, mowing, grooming, herbicide
application, tree trimming, flower beds, and fences.
Grass cutting: Crews bushhog, flail
and slope mow ditches, canals, city streets, city
properties, highways, state right of ways, and all
properties associated with City Complex. The cutting
season ranges eight to sometimes nine months of the
year. During the winter months this crew vacuums leaves
and debris from ditches and culvert ends clean drains
to haul them for disposal.
Inmate crew: This crew performs
hard labor hand work including chain saw, weedeating,
raking, trash pickup, clearing of underbush, grooming
with push mowers, blowing, removal of drift debris
at drainage structures, cleaning of alleys and haul
off for disposal.
Drainage: The city’s canals,
open ditches, and right-of-ways are sprayed for weed
control three times a year and kept clean and cleared
of blockage. The underground drains and culverts are
flushed and catch basins sucked out as needed and
kept clean and cleared of blockage. This crew is state
certified for chemical calibration and application
attending mandatory seminars and maintaining records
of herbicide application as required by law.
Emergency crew: Other than their
normally assigned responsibilities, this crew responds
during emergency situtation such as flooding to pump
water, sandbag and distribution. Also responds during
windstorms to remove downed trees and limbs, open
drainages and assist Light Distribution Dept. This
crew also assists with hazardous chemical clean-up
and automobile wreckage debris in streets as directed
by the Fire Dept.
Contact
Streets & Drainage
phone: (318) 441-6032
Email
Streets & Drainage
Traffic Department
Mission Statement
To provide for the safe transportation of
vehicles on City Streets, and reduce the liability
through detouring and road closures for all city departments.
Function Description
The Traffic Department is responsible for maintaining,
replacing and adding all traffic signs in the City
as well as barricading around street repair projects.
In addition, this department is responsible for trimming
trees, all traffic counts, and all street striping.
This department also conducts all detours in the City.
All name tags for the fire and police departments,
striping and lettering all police cars, drug free
cars and maintaining all signs in the City offices
and buildings are done by this department. This department
also installs and maintains all traffic signals and
caution lights within the city limits. This department
also installs speed humps for the City, conducts all
warrants for speed humps, conducts all speed studies,
traffic light warrants. Report all road closures for
all department & all contractors within the city
limits to media and emergency departments. Maintains
all traffic control on special events; city functions,
parades, etc. Inspect all traffic control devices
for contractors for the City of Alexandria.
Contact
Traffic
phone: (318) 441-6127
Email
Traffic Department
Urban Forestry
Mission Statement
Implement and supervise an overall urban forest management
program for the City of Alexandria. Oversee and conduct
tree maintenance activities required on trees located
in city street and alley right-of-ways, utility easements,
city parks and other public owned property. Coordinate
and respond to tree emergency activities resulting
from broken limbs or fallen trees. Educate the citizens
of Alexandria on proper tree maintenance and tree
planting procedures through the use of the news media,
group presentations at local schools, civic and neighborhood
meetings. Conduct inspections of capital projects
and off-street parking projects to ensure that proper
tree protection and planting activities are being
implemented in accordance with applicable city ordinances.
Implement a city tree planting program for the improved
beautification of city streets and parks. Maintain
the City of Alexandria;s status as a “Tree City
U.S.A.”.
Function Description
There is one Urban Forester employed to coordinate
and implement the maintenance of Alexandria’s
urban forest. This employee handles 20-25 calls per
week, produces 25 pieces of correspondence per week,
coordinates/conducts the trimming/removal of 20-25
trees per week, responds to 3-5 tree emergencies per
week, processes 2-3 requisitions for contracted tree
maintenance work per month, conducts 3-5 utility line
clearance inspections per week, responds to 1-2 tree
insect/disease control requests per month, interacts
on 10-15 capital projects per year and 10-15 off-street
parking projects per year, initiates one public information
news release per month, presents 15 public group presentations
per year.
Contact
Email
Urban Forestry
Zoological Park
Mission Statement
To provide the citizens of Alexandria and Central
Louisiana with recreational and educational experiences
while viewing an organized collection of animals.
To increase services to our community by development
of new educational programs and to continue with the
conservation of endangered species.
To develop research projects in cooperation with other
agencies such as colleges and universities.
To increase attendance through the implementation
of the Phase I of the Zoo’s Master Plan, thereby
insuring an increase in revenue and providing better
living conditions for our Zoo animals.
To maintain the standards set forth by USDA and the
American Zoo and Aquarium Association for animal husbandry,
thereby insuring our accreditation by the AAZPA. (AZA)
Function Description
The Alexandria Zoo:
1. Serves as a community recreational facility as
well as being the largest family oriented, educational
tourist attraction in Central Louisiana with close
to 200,000 visitors annually.
2. Serves as an educational resource for thousands
of school children from Rapides and the surrounding
parishes. Educational programs reach approximately
20,000 children and adults each year. Volunteers assist
staff.
3. Actively participates in conservation programs
for endangered and threatened wildlife, including
Species Survival Plan programs nationally for Sumatran
tigers, Andean condors, white-handed gibbons, maned
wolf, red wolf, and jaguars.
4. Maintains 30 species of mammals, 65 species of
birds, 15 species of reptiles, 10 species of fish,
for a total of approximately 550 animals. Approximately
20 species exhibited at our zoo are endangered or
threatened species.
5. Actively promotes the appreciation and preservation
of native as well as exotic wildlife.
6. Promotes cultural enrichment through special events
such as concerts and other forms of entertainment
in the zoo.
7. Strives to increase revenue and attendance through
special events such as Zoo Boo and Holiday Light Safari.
Contact
Zoo
phone: (318) 473-1143
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