By CARL DAMERON

For the Bulletin

Aaron Jeffery has worked for the City of Manteca for 27 years, spending the majority of his career with the City’s Streets Division

. One of the things that Jeffery appreciates about working for the City is the potential for growth and development that it offers its employees. He began his career as a maintenance worker and has since risen to the position of Street Manager.

 “I have spent most of my life in Manteca. I attended Nile Garden Elementary and Manteca High School before going on to college in San Francisco,” Jeffery said. “When the Streets Division position opened, I thought if I could get the job, I would give it my all and make a career out of it.”

 So, Jeffery moved back to Manteca to be near his family.

 It’s where he and his wife have made their home. Both of their children, daughter Bradee and son Evan, attended Manteca schools and played sports in the community.

They have since moved on to play at the college level. With both his children now playing college sports, he travels significantly to be with them. Jeffery coached several different youth sports teams when his children lived locally.

 Jeffery spent his first 18 years with the City of Manteca in the  Streets Division before moving to the Water Division.

He applied the skills he learned with Streets to his role in the City’s Water Division, stressing, “I was able to use my experience working underground to streamline the process for water repairs.”

While with the Water Division, he earned specialty certifications and, as a result, after five years with the Water Division, was well-positioned to rejoin the City’s Streets Division.

 Jeffery said that when he first returned to work for the Streets Division, his goal was to increase morale, bring structure to the Division, and expand its size.

However, with only eight employees, they could not meet the City's growing needs for road repairs, and everything they did was reactionary.

 In the four years since he rejoined the Streets Division, they have increased staffing to 14 full-time employees and made the Division more proactive, which better serves the City's street repair needs.

 The expanded team has been able to do larger paving projects, eliminate many of the large transverse cracks that run through several neighborhoods, add striping to enhance travel lanes and repair worn asphalt and concrete.

 The Streets Division has added lead positions and new equipment that allows them to complete jobs more efficiently and effectively. However, Jeffery stresses that they still need additional resources to address future needs.

 The Streets Division is responsible for maintaining more than 600 miles of sidewalks, 300-plus center lane miles of roads, street signs and markings, concrete and asphalt repairs, streetlights, and traffic signals.

Jeffery and his team also respond to emergency traffic accidents and destructive weather events and temporarily close roads for special events.

 In addition to fulfilling his division duties, Jeffery also serves on several City committees, including the Traffic Solutions Team, which addresses traffic safety concerns throughout the community.

 A proud resident of Manteca, Jeffery has dedicated his life to providing the best services possible to the community he loves.

“I absolutely love living and working in Manteca,” he noted, “and I truly appreciate the support I receive from the City Council, City Manager, Toni Lundgren, and the Senior Leadership  Team.”