Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Lacey Francis is the new superintendent of public works, but don't expect any drastic visible changes within the department he now oversees.
"I want to keep the same programs going that Kim and I have established," he said. "I don't want to see any changes."
Francis began working for the city Sept. 1, 1992. He has been assistant superintendent since 1996.
A 1973 graduate of Triton High School, Francis also earned a degree in business management from Ivy Tech in 1979.
Before coming to Warsaw he worked for Jones and Henry Engineering in Toledo, Ohio.
Francis said he wants all residents to seek him out with their concerns, whether they relate to the city's streets or to sewer or water systems.
"I'll have an open door policy, so I encourage everyone to come in and give their comments, positive or otherwise," he said.
Some of the key projects Francis said the department is working on now involve removing the turn lane island at Center Street and Eastlake Drive and installing new curbs on Eastlake Drive.
He said the street department will also address the problem of the brick crosswalks downtown settling too much and in an uneven fashion.
"We're going to reinstall one this fall and see how it holds up over the winter. If the repair is effective, we'll repair the others next spring and summer," he said.
The crosswalk repair involves pulling out all of the old paving bricks and the sand foundation. A concrete underlayment will be poured and weep holes drilled to allow for sufficient drainage. The sand and paving bricks will then be reinstalled, Francis said.
The repair method will first be tried on the west crosswalk of the Center and Lake street intersection, he said.
