ROAD-E-O: Public Works has a Parks-and-Rec Worthy Day

Cinthia Villarreal

On the third week of May, cities across the country celebrated National Public Works Week, which seeks to recognize and appreciate local employees for their vital hard work throughout the year.

Naturally, the City of Huntsville joined in the celebration by hosting their annual ROAD-E-O, organized by the Public Works Administrative Assistant, Linda Hicks.  Chrissy, Olivia, and I were thrilled to attend and even participate!

Huntsville city employees gathered at the new training room of the recently inaugurated Service Center to enjoy lunch. While they were waiting in line for their food, Mrs. Hicks and I handed each employee a goodie bag, which included a gift card for a free Chick-Fil-A breakfast and a $20 coupon for Color Bar, as well as a ticket to the thrilling raffle. 

With full stomachs and a lucky ticket, we headed outside, where the ROAD-E-O games awaited. The employees look forward to this tournament throughout the year, and now that I witnessed it, I understand why.

The ROAD-E-O is composed of several “games,” the Backpack Blower, which tests the participant’s ability to guide a tennis ball between traffic cones with a leaf blower (this was exceedingly fun to watch), and the Mower Madness, which made the participant drive a mowing machine through a predetermined course in the least time possible, are just a couple of examples.

One that left us all in awe was the Mini X Challenge. The operator had to meticulously move the claw to nudge six tennis balls that were placed on top of traffic cones, without touching the cones. As if this wasn’t complicated enough, the participant had to move the claw around a couple of barriers in the least amount of time possible. This particular game left me amazed as it shows not only composure and precision from the player but also their experience with the machine. 

Another fan favorite was the Pumper Race which Olivia participated in, along with our city manager, Aron Kulhavy, and the Assistant Police Chief, James Barnes. They had to work together to connect a hose to a firetruck, get water running, and tilt a traffic cone placed a few feet away.

As the games came to a close, we came together for the long-awaited raffle, which included a variety of objects, ranging from gift cards to coolers and from a saber…

…to SHSU football tickets. Most of these prizes were donated by local businesses and community folks, including SHSU, 3 Spoons, Carbonero’s, McKenzie’s, and more! 

The trophies for the tournament were also awarded…

…with the Water Department winning the overall best department by earning the most trophies!

As the day came to an end, we reminisced on everything city employees do to keep Huntsville moving forward every day and we grew appreciative of the long hours and late nights they dedicate to this community.  Huntsville would not be the city it is today without its most vital workers, and we are grateful that we have the opportunity to know them, and even better, work and learn from them.