Simon Wiley took a considerable pay cut to leave his job as Director of Public Works in Park City, Kansas, to move to Eureka Springs in August 2022. He is originally from Arkansas and attended public schools in Rogers and the University of Arkansas.
“My kids and grandkids live in Northwest Arkansas,” Wiley said. “I just wanted to be home. Before I moved here, I was in Eureka Springs pretty much every other weekend. In the summertime I was floating the Kings River or the Buffalo River a lot. When I was visiting Eureka Springs, I used to drive by the Public Works office and say, ‘One of these days, that is going to be my office.’ Isn’t that crazy? I wasn’t really looking for a job but saw this job listed at the Arkansas Municipal League website. I decided I had to apply. I couldn’t miss this opportunity.”
One of his top priorities is to make sure Public Works employees have the tools needed.
“Their responsibilities are always increasing,” Wiley said. “We have to make sure we can respond when needed by having the parts we need, and keeping up with equipment repairs and maintenance.”
Another important effort is determining how much water is lost to leaks, water the city is paying for that is not being sold. There are frequent water leaks in the system, including water main breaks, leaks in service lines, and leaks inside buildings.
“Water leaks are a big challenge here in the city,” Wiley said. “A lot of people own vacation homes, and they are not here most of the year. If we get a real cold spell, a lot of water lines break. With vacant buildings, we often don’t know about a water leak until we read the water meter. We then call the owners to let them know they have a leak. It’s a big challenge to have empty homes and businesses here for a good portion of the winter.”
In winter and spring, the area can get large amounts of precipitation. Water seeps into the ground where it freezes then thaws, creating unstable conditions in the underground karst environment that is riddled with holes like Swiss cheese. The water pressure and erosion can cause underground caverns and streams to collapse and destabilize water and sewer pipes.
“The soil is always moving,” Wiley said. “Eureka Springs was clear cut back in the 1800s and started having landslides and mudslides. There were also three major historic fires. Water also affects the rock walls. When a rock wall that holds up a street collapses, it is the city’s responsibility to fix it.
“Unfortunately, repairing rock walls is one of the most expensive things we do. We are replacing some rock walls on King Street and have more than $80,000 invested in that project already. If you have a bunch of little sections of rock wall that cost $80,000, it adds up pretty quick.”
The winter storms have caused a lot of damage to trees, and there are downed trees and limbs all over town. Public Works employees work in tandem with the utility companies to quickly respond when trees fall on power lines and block streets.
“SWEPCO rents our basement for their local satellite office,” Wiley said. “We get out to clear the road so the utilities can get to the problems. We try to build good relationships with the utility companies to make sure we can help them when they need it. We have hauled so many leaves and tree debris to our plant that we may have to burn soon.”
Public Works employees work in all kinds of weather.
“It is a beautiful thing to watch how well these guys work together,” Wiley said. “They are positive and get along with each other very well. I think the city has a lot to be proud of with the Public Works employees.”
Public Works has 15 employees, including three office staff, two at the wastewater treatment facility, and the meter reading and maintenance crews. Wiley is working to clean up, repair and provide better equipment at the wastewater treatment facility. His goal is to improve processes and treatment by upgrading the plant to save money instead of buying more chemicals.
With lead poisoning of water in Flint, Mich., which was caused by leaching from lead and copper pipes, there are now stronger federal regulations to prevent lead poisoning. Public Works is in the process of systematically mapping and replacing water mains. The city’s responsibility ends at the water meter. However, Wiley said the city’s recent lead and copper testing of water inside homes has not revealed any major issues.
The city has received a grant for an ArcGIS system that is being used for mapping historical property and for water and wastewater infrastructure information. Wiley said as they add data, they will find it easier to locate leaks and know what needs to be replaced.
“We still have a lot of clay sewer pipes underground and some of those are collapsing,” Wiley said. “In addition to having accurate information about the water and wastewater systems, we are working on a street sign inventory and cooperating with Parks to get accurate information about their trails system to help with emergency response. We are also doing an inventory of gravel roads that we hope to pave in the future. All this information will really help out in the development of Eureka Springs.”
Asked about his hobbies, Wiley said he loves to laugh. “I think I’m the funniest guy around,” he said. “I believe I have a responsibility to develop rapport with my coworkers. It makes it easier when things are challenging. I tinker on cars a lot, including a ‘93 Mustang. I love hiking and trout fishing. I do Sunday lunches with my kids and grandkids. It is really nice to be close where I can see them often.”