Trimming grass and weeds along River Road in Waukegan Thursday, three summer interns in the city’s Public Works Department noticed a portion of the roadway in need of repair.
They reported the damage, and may well be part of the crew that eventually does the work.
Steven Sanchez, a Waukegan resident who graduated from Carmel Catholic High School Sunday, is in his third year as a public works intern. He began when the program started in 2022. He said helping to find solutions gives him a good feeling.
“We saw it, and called our foreman,” he said. “Doing this might prevent someone from tripping on the road, or a car from getting a flat tire.”
Sanchez is one of 26 public works interns or beach rangers between the ages of 16 and 24 in the city’s summer intern program which can lead to a full-time job when they finish their schooling and are ready to enter the workforce.
Director of Public Works Chris Garland said the intern program introduces the 10 young workers to all elements of public works except snow removal, while providing income for the summer.
Lakefront Coordinator Lisa May said the beach rangers communicate with beachgoers and help them as ambassadors, keep it clean as caretakers, occasionally monitor improper behavior and let authorities know.
While the interns and rangers may not yet be thinking long-term with more schooling or training ahead, Garland said he started as an intern approximately 30 years ago and May said she began with the city as a teenager painting curbs.
Potentially spending time working in all three non-winter divisions of the public works department — asphalt, concrete and forestry — Garland said learning both new skills and what it is like to work all day are key purposes of the program.
“This is a paid summer job that teaches them the value of work,” he said. “They will also learn skills to help out at home using some of our equipment to work on yards and lawns.”
Working in the asphalt and concrete divisions of the department, Moreland said interns will learn how to fill potholes, maintain sidewalks and more. In the forestry division, along with weed eating, they trim trees and cut down dead ones, among other tasks.
Unusual moments occur as well, like moving a mattress off the street. On his first day at work, Isaiah Jackson was part of a crew which removed a mattress from the street which he was told was illegally dumped.
“I like making my city look better,” Jackson said. “I want to do my best and work hard. They told us we had to be careful because there could be bed bugs.”
Alonzo Jenkins, the Public Works Department superintendent, said the interns also learn workplace safety procedures. They are taught how to use construction and landscaping equipment.
Should the interns do well in the program, Garland said they have the potential to find full-time work with the city. They are union jobs which start at about $42,000 a year.
“There is health insurance, and (eventually) they get a pension,” Garland said.
May said in an email the 16 beach rangers are all from Waukegan except one from Beach Park who attends Waukegan High School. They learn what is expected of them during orientation, she said.
Though the rangers do spend time picking up trash left on the beach, May said the job is much more than maintenance. They interact with beachgoers when necessary, and assist the food vendors.
“They learn about the environment and the importance of conservation,” she said. “They learn communication skills and how to operate as part of a team. I’ve also seen great friendships. The rangers are meeting peers that they may never have met and expanding their social circles. “
A feature at the beach is two wheelchairs with large tires enabling people to navigate sand to help those who need them get into the water. May said the rangers assist those beach visitors to enhance their experience.
“The rangers facilitate our beach wheelchair program wherein visitors can borrow our wheelchairs that are engineered for sand, with oversized inflated tires that are easily traverse sand,” May said.
Education is part of the beach ranger experience, too. May said the Lake County Audubon Society schools them on the importance of the dunes and the beach habitat. They can use the knowledge to work with schoolchildren when they are at the beach.
“They learn about the many species of flora and fauna, and of course, our beloved piping plovers,” May said. “They assist with the annual Waukegan Elementary Summer School ‘Water Week.’ Hundreds of young children come for an educational field trip.”
