As the country celebrates National Public Works Week, William Schoen, the public works director at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington, highlighted the critical role public works departments play in maintaining and improving facilities, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the Navy mission. He emphasized the significance of the Public Works community in providing essential infrastructure management and sustainment.

“The many men and women in the Public Works community provide critical infrastructure management and sustainment and provide the warfighters the environment to be successful in their efforts,” Schoen stated, underlining the direct impact of public works on the operational readiness of the Navy.

The public works leader also highlighted the importance of innovation and technology in the field of public works. NAVFAC Washington has been at the forefront of adopting innovative approaches to improve services, increase efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.

“We are coordinating with Naval District Washington to connect even more buildings to our Facility Energy and Operations Cell. We are upgrading our capabilities to allow a more robust centralized operations center,” explained Schoen.

He noted that the initiative enables proactive monitoring of building control systems and timely interventions when the condition to operate deviate from optimal levels.

“By leveraging technology, NAVFAC Washington enhances operational efficiency and reduces maintenance efforts, resulting in significant cost savings,” Schoen stated.

During National Public Works Week, Schoen thanked his public works teams for their tireless efforts.

“As I’ve said in the past, I am very appreciative of the tremendous work accomplished by the Public Works community here at NAVFAC Washington. Whether it’s ensuring lights come on and the water flows every day, providing transportation equipment to the PWDs and their Supported Commands, working with Supported Command building managers to ensure proper sustainment of facilities, or performing installation planning, Public Works employees are involved in everything we do.”

As NAVFAC Washington continues to drive innovation and efficiency in public works, the contributions of its dedicated professionals remain the backbone of the organization’s success. The unwavering commitment to maintaining and improving facilities, implementing cutting-edge technologies and providing exceptional support to the Navy mission deserves ongoing recognition and appreciation from the community they serve. From engineers to technicians, these professionals are responsible for the transportation, utilities and facilities that are vital to the Navy’s mission and well-being.

National Public Works Week, May 19 – 25, is observed under the theme “Advance Quality of Life for All.”