City of Springfield Public Works Director Phil Broyles died Saturday after losing a brief battle with cancer. He was 65.
Named director of public works July 1, 2011, after serving as co-interim director of the department, Broyles brought to the city 30 years of experience with the Missouri Department of Transportation, according to a city news release.
"Our hearts are heavy at the city. It is unfair that Phil has been taken from us,” City Manager Greg Burris said in the release. “Phil possessed a can-do spirit, but with the easy-going style of a longtime friend that made people want to work with him.
"He was a champion of transportation, neighborhoods and doing things right."
As head of the city's Department of Public Works, Broyles was charged with leading some 220 people responsible for street design, construction and maintenance, traffic engineering, storm-water management, solid waste and recycling efforts, and maintenance of publicly owned trees and grounds. The department maintains 1,935 lane miles of street, 138 traffic signals, 38,000 traffic and street signs, 100 public buildings - comprising nearly 1.2 million square feet, 70 bridges and waterways, Hazelwood Cemetery, and 800 city vehicles, according to the release.
During his tenure, Broyles oversaw the creation of the environmental services department; led Public Works to American Public Works Association accreditation; and was named a Top 10 Public Works professional of North America by APWA.
After retiring from MoDOT, Broyles was named assistant director of the Public Works for the city, replacing the retiring director on an interim basis in 2010. He was named to the position permanently the next year. During his time with MoDOT, Broyles worked largely in the Springfield district office in maintenance and operations positions, and also worked as a district engineer in the northeast district in Hannibal. His last job with MoDOT was in Jefferson City as director of operations over the state's maintenance, construction, materials testing and traffic engineering, the release said.[[In-content Ad]]
