17290_Authority_February_2024

municipalauthorities.org | 13 Reading | Hawley | Lititz | Mountaintop | Pottsville | Pittsburgh | State College 800.825.1372 | entecheng.com Inf ras t ructure means more to the people who rel y on i t . We not only understand the needs of the systems and people who have to work non-stop to serve our communites with water and wastewater services; we depend on them too. drawings from others for submittals, and wait until the end of a million- dollar project to submit their first and only invoice. To ensure that the great painters kept working, we’d occasionally help them, just like Andy did that day, even though he had a dozen other urgent matters that needed his attention. I noticed with these painters that there was a palpable sense of collaboration during the projects. Again and again, the Owner, painting foreman, and inspector would come together to discuss issues and problems and develop solutions. We’d all share our experiences and expertise, and work to determine the root cause of problems to ensure the solution addressed the right thing. Owners would provide electricity on-site for free because why not? It’s there and will help. The painter would blast and paint the steel valve vault cover, even though the spec didn’t call for it, because why not? It’s the right thing to do. This feeling of collaboration even gave me the courage to admit when I didn’t know what to do next, like when we were helping Dan Preston at North Penn Water Authority repaint his 2.0 million gallon elevated tank in the middle of Lansdale. A week before their Founder’s Day celebration, the North Penn Water Authority Lansdale tank unveiling. Continued on page 54.