November 22: Thank You & Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning,

Even though it’s a short week for us due to the upcoming holiday, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for this organization, and all of you.

Today, and every day, I am grateful for the hard work of our operations crews. So often, you are sacrificing your personal time and putting in overtime on weekends and holidays to serve the public. Whether it’s during summer hours to complete various projects, or for snow plowing during winter storms, each of you play a crucial role in keeping the traveling public safe throughout our county! On top of road maintenance, our operations crews work incessantly to keep our internal operations functioning well. Ranging from our shop crew/mechanics that keep our trucks and equipment running smoothly, to our facilities team that keep each of our yards functional, your work is noted and greatly appreciated.

Thank you to our engineering team for your tireless efforts in securing funding and planning years in advance for our large and complex projects, for working around the clock to secure our work zones for the safety of our crew members and the public, and for working alongside the public to answer questions and address concerns about our road projects. In addition, our traffic and safety staff work with the public on a whole range of issues from traffic calming to sign installation to keeping our elaborate traffic signal systems functioning, they keep it all moving safely. And our permits staff can be found throughout the county addressing commercial vehicles concerns, conducting sight distance studies and issuing permits and inspecting various activities taking place in the road right-of-way. Your work is challenging and complicated, but your commitment to improving our county road system and serving the public is evident!

Lastly, thank you to our administrative team for your never-ending job of supporting our entire organization. You do everything from providing the public with imperative information regarding our projects, road funding, and our organization as a governing body, to assuring that our employees have the best opportunities and resources available to them, to making sure that staff and our vendors are all paid regularly and accurately. And finally, to not laughing at the stupidest of our technology questions. The relentless efforts of our administrative team keeps all of us going both here at work and at home supporting our families.

In short, I am honored to have worked for this organization and alongside all of you. Your dedication and hard work to keeping the motoring public safe in Washtenaw County is commendable, and should be admired! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday.

Take care,

Sheryl