We have endured a punishing start to summer, with high temperatures and humidity thick enough to cut with a knife. Last week, the
offices even closed an hour early for a few consecutive days because our cooling unit could not handle the strain, leaving our staff literally sweating out the production of the paper (as opposed to figuratively, which is par for the course).
It has been a tough few weeks, but through it all the most extended exposure we at the Tribune have had outside (aside from covering a blisteringly hot Livingston High School graduation) has been on walks to Dunkin’ for coffee. Meanwhile, on our daily travels around town, we have witnessed Livingston’s Department of Public Works (DPW) crews operating in the sweltering summer sun to repair our roadways.
We tip our caps to our DPW crews who have had to endure the elements this summer in order to fix water mains, pave streets, set up events, and handle anything and everything else that has come up. It is not an easy job in the best of conditions, but when extreme weather throws an additional wrench in the operation, it can be downright punishing, and even dangerous. However, the work the DPW does is necessary to keep our town running efficiently, so we thank them all for their efforts.
It is worth mentioning, too, that they continue to do their job headquartered in a crumbling DPW garage as they wait patiently for a new one to finally be constructed on Industrial Parkway. Aside from a collective “thank you” for doing their jobs, I am sure they would greatly appreciate taking their breaks in a facility that isn’t undersized and dilapidated. Hopefully, this will not be the case for much longer.
