James Smart said he’s always been on the hunt for knowledge and ways to give back to the community.
More than three decades ago, he found a way to accomplish both.
It was July 3, 1991, when Smart joined the City of Waycross payroll as a member of the vehicle maintenance crew in the Public Works Department. The Ware County native became Superintendent of the department in 2005 under Director Sam Ray, then its Director five years ago with the retirement of Wilton DeLoach.
Smart ended his 33-plus years with the city on his retirement December 24.
“I’d been tossing (retirement) around for a month or so,” Smart said. “I decided it was time. There are some good young people who may have a lot more ideas to improve the city. Let’s give them a try.”
Smart moved to the public sector from a post as manager of Southern Automotive Machine Shop.
“I’ve always been the type of person to try and broaden my skill level,” Smart said. “The more you know about what you’re working with, the more valuable you can be in whatever situation comes up. I learned every machine we worked with.”
He took that knowledge to the city where he found more than enough opportunities over the years to work toward fulfilling his other aim.
“I love helping people and giving back,” said Smart, who’ll be 64 in March. “I feel like we all share that (in public works). There’s a lot of good people here.” Smart has seen quite a change in the city and public works during his tenure. The canal system, his direct responsibility as superintendent, is far more efficient than in the past, and then there’s the department’s home.
Once scattered in buildings around the city, public works consolidated at one address in late summer 2022 when a complex envisioned even before Smart started his city stint, opened on Satilla Lane.
“It was like moving into a castle,” Smart said. “They did their homework and a really thorough job to make sure it was right after all those years. Finally having all the departments together is just tremendous.”
He also said he’s particularly proud of the unit’s work with the city’s parks. Those at Bailey Street, Garlington Heights and Elizabeth Street are ticketed for major improvements in the coming year through a combination of state and city funding.
“Those upgrades are going to be a great thing for those neighborhoods and their youth,” he said.
Smart isn’t the only experienced hand who left the department Christmas Eve. Garage manager Mike Johnson and his service writer, Millard Grant, retired after 47 and 32 years, respectively.
Smart said he knows he’ll miss rising long before the sun does even on summer days to join his colleagues facing the city’s daily challenges. He said regardless of position along his career with the city, he found a reward most every day.
“I enjoyed working when I was doing maintenance and when I was on the management side,” he said. “You can resolve a lot of issues if you just listen to people, and a lot of times, that’s all they want. You can help by just listening.”
As for the future, Smart said there’ll be more family time for him and Cathy, his wife of 44 years.
“I’m not ready to just sit down yet,” he said. “But I don’t know what that’s gonna mean now.
“I just want to enjoy life a little more before the good Lord calls me home.”
