The DC Department of Public Works is hosting a podcast series to bridge the gap between the agency’s essential services and the residents who rely on them. The podcast’s mission is to inform the public about the breadth of its services—from street cleaning to snow clearance—and to humanize the dedicated individuals behind these tasks. Podcast segments will shed light on the challenges their workers face daily, emphasizing that their work is not only vital but also demanding and often perilous. Through storytelling and dialogue, segments will seek to foster understanding and appreciation for the tireless efforts of their workforce and to compare the extent of our services in comparison with neighboring municipalities.
The DC Department of Public Works, headed by Director Timothy W. Spriggs, provides essential city services in two distinct program areas: environmental services/solid waste management and parking enforcement. Both contribute to making our District streets and public spaces clean, safe, attractive and accessible for all residents, businesses, commuters and visitors.The mission of the Department of Public Works (DPW) is to provide environmentally healthy municipal services that are both ecologically sound and cost-effective.
In addition to being responsible for the cleaning the District’s residential neighborhoods, high-visibility commercial areas, gateway corridors, and industrial zones, DPW also provides parking enforcement and keeps the District government operating by repairing, fueling and maintaining more than 3,000 vehicles used for all city services except police, fire, corrections and schools. The agency also is the largest producer of public murals in the city, having installed more than 150 original works of art on public facing walls in every ward of the nation’s capital.