Palmdale wins two APWA High Desert Branch awards

PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale’s public works department won two awards from the High Desert Branch of the American Public Works Association (APWA) presented at its annual awards dinner Dec. 5 at Gino’s Restaurant in Palmdale.

Palmdale took home the Outstanding Public Works Project of the Year for Community Engagement/Season of Service, and Innovative Design of the Year for its public arts program.

One of the projects in the Community Engagement/Season of Service program was the Massari Park makeover, which drew over 300 volunteers and several local businesses who came together to help with fencing, landscaping, light carpentry, painting and cleaning the park.

Palmdale’s public art program was honored for its “Walk on Words” poetry contest, which has produced poems written by local residents cast in concrete at both the Palmdale Playhouse and Poncitlán Square, as well as the City’s two new pieces of art, “Back Home” on display at the Palmdale Transportation Center, and “Nature Re-Presented” featured at the City’s Community Garden at Neighborhood House #1. Both pieces were created by native Argentinian artist Sol Mesz.

Of the six awards presented, five were won by organizations in the Antelope Valley. Other local winners included:

• Best Use of Technology – Arrow Engineering/Quartz Hill Water District, Quartz Hill Water District Office & Mobile GIS System
• Best Environmental Project – City of Lancaster, Recycled Water System
• Outstanding Public Works Employee of the Year – City of Lancaster, Elma Watson, Assistant Planner

The City of Santa Clarita won an award for Best Improvement for Public Safety for its Newhall Avenue roundabout project.

“We are very proud of our employees who worked collaboratively [for] our two awards, showing how much we can accomplish when we put our collective efforts together,” stated Palmdale City Manager Dave Childs. “It’s also nice to see other organizations in the Antelope Valley being honored by their peers in Public Works.”

The High Desert Branch of the APWA represents jurisdictions located in the Santa Clarita, Victor, and Antelope valleys.

For more information about the awards program, contact Brian Glidden of Arrow Engineering at 661-949-2525 or by email bglidden@eng-arrow.com. For more information about the City of Palmdale’s projects, contact Benjamin Lucha at 661-267-5300 or email blucha@cityofpalmdale.org.

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[Information via press release from the city of Palmdale.]