Williams To Head East District Road Garage
By Karen Gould

Dale Williams is the new East District foreman.

Dale Williams of Clark Township is the Mackinac County Road Commission's new East District foreman, a position that is responsible for five townships and 19 employees. With more than three years experience with the road commission, Mr. Williams stepped into the role Wednesday, July 19, replacing Greg Hill, who resigned.

Formerly a heavy equipment operator, Mr. Williams will oversee roads in the townships of St. Ignace, Moran, Brevort, Marquette, and Clark. He said that he will continue to work on improving county roads in his area.

"I want to improve the everyday functions and use of the roads, which is something we're working on all along, it just takes time to get through the process," said Mr. Williams. "I want to improve the road system and get residents out of the mud and onto improved roads on a year-around basis."

Craig Kelso, manager and engineer at the road commission, said each season presents its own set of unique situations, which road employees try to anticipate and then tackle. In the summer, road crews, under the direction of the foreman, are dealing with road construction and maintenance work. In the fall, cold rains and freezing temperatures and hunters traveling the back roads add a new dimension to road maintenance for crews.

The winter brings heavy snow, night work, and plowing, sanding, and salting of county roads. As winter's deep freeze ends, some roads become impassable with melting snow and spring rains, and then road crews set to work to repair the affects of winter weather, said Mr. Kelso.

A district foreman is on call 24 hours a day for emergencies and foremen usually are not allowed to take vacations during the winter months because of the demanding snow plowing schedule, said Mr. Kelso.

"It's a very demanding position," he said.

Overall, Mr. Williams said his plan is to take a proactive approach to road work and his main goal will be to focus on the safety of people driving on the roads. During the winter, his crew will work to keep snowbanks pushed back from intersections so drivers have a clear view of oncoming traffic. In the summer, brush will be kept cleared so it does not affect driver visibility at corners, he added.

The road commission approved Mr. Williams for the job Tuesday, July 18, based on Mr. Kelso's recommendation. Mr. Kelso told commissioners that Mr. Williams has supervisory experience, background knowledge of equipment, and, as a lifelong resident, knows the area well.

"Dale is going to improve our abilities to provide day-to-day maintenance operations for the East District," said Mr. Kelso.

Mr. Williams can be reached at the East District garage by calling (906) 484-7800.