Newsmakers 2016: Stan Polivick

Stan Polivick's work isn't always visible, but it is evident. When heavy rains flood the Mississippi River and threaten to overpower the city's sewer system, Polivick's efforts keep the potentially detrimental storms at bay.

Polivick knows storms. He worked in Slidell, Louisiana, and saw the city through Hurricane Katrina. He became Cape Girardeau's stormwater coordinator in 2008, just as it took over floodwall maintenance. He's worked with the Army Corps of Engineers since then to complete $12 million dollars worth of rehabilitation projects to the city's flood protection systems.

For his efforts, Polivick, who now serves as the city's assistant public works administrator, has received several accolades. The Missouri Water Environment Association presented him with the Collection System Award for long-term service in sewer collection work. In 2015, the St. Louis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave a certificate of appreciation to the City of Cape Girardeau Flood Protection Systems. Cape Girardeau was the first district to receive the honor in more than 10 years.

"To be recognized by the corps offices that we work with, to have them recognize our work and grant us that award, was really an encouragement and quite an achievement," Polivick says.

Though Polivick often is the spokesperson for the public works department and has certainly made great improvements to the city, he acknowledges the successes would not be possible without the efforts of the people he works with on a regular basis.

Stanley PolivickLaura Simon

"Everything I've done isn't just me. We've got a really wonderful group of people at public works and at city hall," he says. "We're getting a lot of things done that seem to be automatic, but they're not."

The assumption that public works infrastructure occurs automatically is a great compliment to the department, Polivick says. It means the department is trusted to keep things running. But though they may go unnoticed, Polivick says he and his crew are working hard.

"It's like that old saying," he says. "The duck sitting on top of the water looks pretty calm, but he's paddling like the dickens underneath."