By Albert Rodriguez
Digging up a residential street to install water pipe is never an easy proposition for both our crews and the community. On top of the difficult excavation, trenching and pipe installation, crews have to contend with residents leaving and entering their homes or apartments at all hours of the day. For residents, it can be a major inconvenience, and for crews, it interrupts their work flow. Thankfully, our crews are aware of the need for great customer service and focusing on the values of positivity, cooperation and politeness in every interaction.
The West Valley District Main Line Replacement Crew, led by Water Utility Supervisor Pedro Tovar, was recently cited as an example of these values by a customer living near their job site at DeSoto Avenue and Gresham Street in Canoga Park. The crew has been installing earthquake resistant pipe along the residential part of the street. Every time a vehicle needs access, the crew has to stop work, get out of the trench, lift the backhoe and cover the trench with a steel plate so the vehicle can get across.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to the LADWP crew for their professionalism and great customer service during construction,” wrote local resident Angel Li Wang in an email. “I know it’s difficult, but the crew accommodated each and every resident and I have been impressed with the job that they are accomplishing. On behalf of myself and all the residents here on De Soto, we all appreciate what these fine gentleman are doing day in and day out.”
As LADWP continues a major effort to replace aging infrastructure all over the city, crews must necessarily impose on the daily lives of customers. But such inconvenience can be mitigated with prior planning, coordination, and lots of understanding between crews and residents.
“Our crews recognize that residents are our stakeholders, and at the same time, we’re responsible for whatever impression that customer walks away with,” said Tovar. “We stress the importance of working with residents, keeping our work areas clean and educating them about the project.”
The project is slated for completion in May of this year, but it already looks to be a success, thanks to the great work by this outstanding group of LADWP employees.
