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Public works crews train, compete before winter

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This week a special event is taking place in Johnson County to prepare public works crews for the winter weather. 

In a spacious spot at the New Century Air Center, the 28th annual Heart of America Snow Plow and Equipment Training Expo begins Monday.

Ethan Heon, 21, is attending this year. He is one of street maintenance workers assigned to keep Olathe streets clear of snow.

“Growing up you're always [saying], 'Ooo, I like those big boy toys driving trucks like that,' so in a small ways it's a dream come true,” Heon said.

In reality, driving one of the trucks takes a whole lot of know-how.

“We come out here to rodeo and practice with our plow to get the distance right so when we're actually plowing we're not hitting anything that no property is damaged,” Heon said.

Each driver maneuvers a complicated course of cones and other markers making precision critical.

“If they can do it here they can do it on the roads,” Chris Porras with the City of Shawnee said.

Written tests reinforce the training and count heavily in the final score. 

“There's a lot of obstacles out on the roadway that you have to deal with every day so we make it tough for them, I mean, it's hard to complete the course no one hardly does it perfect,” Porras said.

The expo isn’t only an opportunity for workers to learn and show off their skills. For vendors like RED Municipal and Industrial Equipment Company, it’s a way to showcase and introduce workers to new equipment out on the market.

The expo runs through Thursday.

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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com

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