How Bowling Green city workers handle the heat

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- The heat can affect everyone, and that includes outdoor employees with the City of Bowling Green.

Andy Souza, the director of Public Works Bowling Green, says Bowling Green Public Works just got approved by the capital improvement program, this will give the public works fleet enough funds to add a new AC unit that will keep mechanics cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Souza says, “We do not have air conditioning down here. So we’ve got fans going. We’ve got humidifiers going. we pump fluids, we push water, Gatorade. And they can take breaks.”

The mechanics have been relying on fans for years, but with the new AC unit, it’s the dawn of a new day.

David Long, a Bowling Green apprentice shares his experience. He says, “Well, I’ve been here almost 25 years now, and we’ve always had friends, mister fans, and it’s going to be great because, you know, it’s like it gets pretty hot in some of these buildings.”

You may be wondering where your tax dollars are going, but for every dollar, $0.17 of that dollar goes straight to public works, where they’re able to maintain more than 600 vehicles for first responders, parks and recreation trucks, and many other city vehicles. And with their new AC unit, they’ll be able to work much more efficiently.

Long also shares how this will affect everyone’s work ethic, saying, “You know, it all be one temperature when you come in every night. It’s going to be amazing. I hope we help our work performance because that way if you get hot, you take more breaks, and if you step out to cool and stuff, I believe you can work more efficiently.”

Not only will the new addition impact the mechanics, Souza also tells us, there will be a few new additions to the entire facilities.

He says, “This is the next level, right? So we’re doing air conditioning. We’re redoing their bathrooms, and we’re even doing their wash bay. So we appreciate the taxpayers for paying for it. this is a service. A lot of times, we don’t realize that that police car needs to get an oil change or new brakes, and they do that down here, so it’s pretty great, and if you’re happy at your work, you perform better at work, you’ll be healthier. Just keeping everything moving is a delicate dance. And they do it very well down here.”