Bensenville heavy equipment operator Max Geib simulates a water main break for Bensenville Trustee McLane Lomax, right, during Saturday's Bensenville public works open house. To fix the leak, water technicians put a combination rubber sleeve and clamp over the leak, which will seal the pipe for over 20 years.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Almost everyone sees what public works crews do - from repairing streets to trimming trees to maintaining sewers.
But it's rare that most of us get a chance to peek behind the scenes to get a close look at the skills, tools and equipment those men and women need to do their jobs.
Bensenville took aim at changing all that Saturday with a public works open house at 717 E. Jefferson Ave. that included a variety of activities as well as booths with information about forestry, streets, water, fleet and building services, wastewater, stormwater, engineering and emergency management.
The event also include giveaways and free food along with the chance for kids to touch and climb on some of the village's equipment and to view plastic duck races.
Folks of all ages also got a chance to tour the village's wastewater treatment plant and see the results of a recent $30 million upgrade.
Frank Palumbo of the Bensenville forestry department shows residents how he uses a resistograph, which detects decay in trees through the use of a 1/16-inch bit, at Bensenville's public works open house Saturday.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Tomasz Banys of Bensenville takes a photo of his son Jacob running through a stream of water Saturday at Bensenville's public works open house.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Shiv Patel, 12, of Carol Stream practices on a toy backhoe Saturday during the Bensenville public works open house, which provided the community an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the skills, tools and equipment used to maintain the village's infrastructure.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Dan Katz, a volunteer from Elk Grove public works, looks over part of a $30 million water treatment plant upgrade during the Bensenville public works open house Saturday. The biological wastewater treatment process removes nitrogen, phosphorous and other conventional pollutants.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com