APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford joined Local Five’s Kaitlin Corbett at Pierce Park on Wednesday morning to discuss a big week of recognizing a couple of different organizations, including Police Week and Public Works Week.

Mayor Woodford touches on the importance of recognizing these vital departments and the importance of residents being able to meet face-to-face with some of the city’s employees.

“In a lot of cases, citizens don’t have the chance to interact with [Appleton’s] employees on day-to-day bases,” stated Mayor Woodford. “So this is a positive opportunity for people to get together and meet some of the folks who work in the city and see the equipment that we as a community have invested in.”

“Some colleagues in the Police Department got to talking with colleagues in the Public Works Department about celebrating the two weeks together because we’re talking about some of the core services that the city provides,” said Mayor Woodford.

Ideas were discussed to help provide ideas on how to celebrate and recognize both departments and it really grew from there into a broader celebration of everything the City of Appleton does.

“Public Works makes the city run,” added Mayor Woodford. “We rely on our Public Works Department for everything from clearing snow to keeping our roads in good repair. We are heavily reliant on our Public Works Department.”

As a result of the discussions, officials are hosting a city celebration at Pierce Park in Appleton from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18. Plenty of family fun is included at the event, including food trucks and city equipment and vehicles.