-A truck driver will have had an oopsie.
Then they'll bring it to me and they're like,
"Oh no, can you fix this?"
And I'm like, yeah, no problem.
-Keeping the city on the move is a complex job.
Meet some of the fleet mechanics who make it happen.
-Welcome to my office.
-Some of those mechanics work far outside Seattle
to help to provide a valuable resource.
-We can't provide the drinking water for the residents
if we don't have the tools to do so.
-Tomatoes are starting to look ready.
-Oh, yeah.
-Reconnecting people to the land.
The Black Farmers Collective grows healthy food
for people in need.
-That's what I've been doing.
-These stories and more next on CityStream.
♪♪
This is the giant UDub parking lot north of Husky Stadium.
It has about 2,700 parking spots.
That's a lot.
But you'd need 1,300 more to park the City of Seattle's
entire vehicle fleet.
Hello, I'm Enrique Cerna.
It's a huge job keeping a city like Seattle running.
Maintaining a fleet of 4,000 vehicles is a lot of work.
Michael Crowe shows us the team that does it
and how they're trying to help the environment
at the same time.
-The work of Michelle Peterson's hands --
-- is everywhere you look out on the streets of Seattle.
-Yup.
-As a metal fabricator with the city's
fleet maintenance team,
she's one of the dozens of people
that keep more than 4,000 city vehicles on the road.
Everything from EVs to dump trucks.
And today...
-And I'll cut these corners off.
-...she's working on a siren computer housing.
-I'm building a little cover that has vent holes in it.
Custom work from a paper napkin drawing,
so to speak, to real life, back into a fire truck.
-It's rewarding work, something new every day.
She takes overlap from several trades, welding,
fabricating, repairs, -- -- and does a lot of problem solving.
-And this is why I love my job is
because I rarely have the luxury of getting bored.
-Everything breaks eventually.
From chain skirts for breaker heads,
backhoe buckets, new bumpers. It leads to some funny moments
and a special connection to this city.
-I was up at Magnuson Park
and I saw a backhoe going down the road.
And I pointed out to my husband.
I said, that's one of my backhoes.
It's got the hooks on it that I welded on.
-The fleet's team plays an important role in
not just keeping city staff mobile,
but also greening the impact of these vehicles on the planet.
-And we touch every city department.
Yeah.
-Chris Wiley is fleet director for the city
and says they burn more than 2 million gallons of fuel a year.
Enough to fill a 15-gallon tank more than 133,000 times.
The goal is to get carbon emissions down
from a 2013 peak of about 29,000 tons a year
to 15,000 in 2025 and eventually zero.
-Yeah,
we have pretty aggressive Green Fleet initiatives.
We're trying to turn over the unleaded fleet
by 2030 to all electric.
We're also trying to go to a fossil
fuel free fleet by 2030 as well.
We've actually just implemented renewable diesel
for all of our diesel vehicles.
So we've actually achieved that goal for the diesel fleet.
-Renewable diesel comes from fats like soybean or canola oil.
But the electrification of vehicles
has them really excited, though it requires they adapt.
Training staff for new power systems and components.
At the same time,
it was already tough to find qualified folks
to do these jobs.
But the work has always been changing.
Ever since the South Charles Street facility
opened decades ago.
-Skilled trades are, kind of, that way universally.
So we've been really working hard to keep a full
and productive staff.
-Training -- -All right.
I've got to get to a connector, which is under a strap.
--- was very important to Carolyn Arnold.
She's a mechanic with the fleet's team,
mostly working on Seattle City light trucks.
Today, she's underneath one trying to diagnose an issue
with the 75-foot bucket arm.
-To see if we're getting power from the button
to the emergency pump.
And we are not.
So we got to go farther down the line.
Boy. -Don't mind the grumbling.
It comes with the territory.
And she likes this work a lot.
-Sometimes it's challenging and sometimes it's meditative,
depending on what part you're doing.
-She learned how to service bigger machinery like this
in her time with the city of Seattle.
And loves the feeling of giving back to her community.
-So a little bit of everything.
And honestly, I really like the people I work with.
You know, they make it enjoyable to come in every day.
My husband will even bring me, like,
pictures or clips from the news and be like,
"Is that one of your babies?"
I'm like, that's one of my babies.
-Much like Michelle.
-And this is all stuff
that just keeps the city humming along.
-Who loves this job just as much as when she started here.
-See the pillar right there?
-Thirty-one years in the same shop bay.
She keeps this picture here to remind her.
-It's immensely meaningful.
Like the most satisfaction I get is
when somebody else's day is better.
When somebody says thank you,
or I see the smile.
Or a truck driver will have had an oopsie
and then they'll bring it to me and they're like,
"Oh, no, can you fix this?"
And I'm like, yeah, no problem. Come back tomorrow.
And they're just like, oh, my gosh, you know, it's okay.
Everything's okay.
-You just saw how the fleets team keeps the city
of Seattle rolling.
But did you know they also play a key role
in keeping our water flowing? Up at the Cedar River Watershed,
mechanics work on all kinds of equipment in all conditions.
So that the Seattle Public Utility crews can deliver
a vital resource.
Producer, Ian Devier, takes a look.
-My favorite part of the job is coming to work.
I'm the first one here in the morning.
And it's very -- -- serene, very peaceful.
Welcome to my office. That's the best part of the job.
My name is Al Drake.
I'm a senior automotive mechanic for fleets.
And I'm stationed in the watersheds.
-My name is Juan Garcia.
I'm a fleets mechanic at the watershed.
We're going to be heading up to the 211 road.
And we're going to be working on a brush cutter.
We made it.
What we do as mechanics is really important
for the community.
The reservoirs up here in the lakes and everything,
we're the main supplier for Seattle.
-If you live in Seattle and drink water,
good chance it's from right here.
-Their role really in keeping all the equipment running,
is we can't provide the drinking water for the residents
if we don't have the tools to do so.
-Take a look at all the blades and make sure they're all good.
If not, we'll replace them and the bearings.
We'll need at least seven to start.
It's right up my alley with what I like doing,
which is repairing on the go.
-I pride myself on getting the machine back the same day.
If they blow a hose, pull it, go get it made,
get back, get them back working.
A hydraulic quick coupler has failed
and starting to separate and leaking oil.
Being out here, we want to do it as quick as we can.
As clean as we can.
-We have to use environmentally friendly oils,
and lubricants, and greases
because we don't want any of that stuff
to get into the water supply.
-No mess. Nice and clean.
-We have to think strategically
before we do a lot of our stuff.
And at the same time, we have to do it in a way
where it's safe for the operator,
safe for the operation.
-For over 300 pieces of equipment,
you get to know what they're using, when they're using it.
-Yeah, it's a massive body of work for
two individuals to take care of.
-Remote mowers, to John Deere tractors,
Cat excavators, Cat backhoes.
-F-series trucks, F-150 on up, Ford Rangers, big dump trucks.
We have boats, skiffs --
-A ton of different trailers, air compressors, light towers.
Yeah, it's a pretty long list
of varied equipment we take care of.
There's over 900 miles of road in Cedar Falls.
There's -- I'm not sure how many here,
but probably several hundred here.
And then just all the road miles to get back and forth.
We're out on forced roads all the time.
And then we go off road quite a bit.
Get to where the equipment is.
-You just never know what you're going to get into
because it's all unique.
Yeah. So we've really got to think about safety.
I don't know if you noticed, but my head's on a swivel.
It's looking at where I'm at, where we're going.
And I'm looking up on top of the trees,
make sure no trees are falling.
-You need to know what's around you
because you don't know what's coming out of those woods.
-I've seen coyotes, elk, deer.
-Oh yeah, yeah. We get bear, cougar.
-I think the biggest bear
I've seen probably standing about this high.
Yeah, snakes.
-You name it, we get it out here all the time.
-One of the biggest challenges is probably the weather.
-There's four distinct seasons and they each
got their own hazard.
-In my truck right now -- -- I've got rain gear,
I've got cold weather gear.
Going up there,
I have to be aware of how hot it is because something
that I may be working on could cause a fire.
And that's all related to temperature.
So I have to be very diligent about what I do, how I do it.
I'm able to do quite a bit out of the one truck.
-My truck is my toolbox. Actually, that's my toolbox,
but I haven't used it in about 10 years.
-So I was actually fabricating a bolt on the fly
and measured it, cut it,
and used it for the application that it was intended to.
Al and I are kind of mentors and trainers
on some of these young guys that are coming in.
-The general scope of what they did,
it didn't really occur to me until I got here.
He showed me things that I just wasn't aware of
between whisker switches, hydraulic systems.
Just fixing random things that happen on the fly.
I've been learning a lot. -What are we having for lunch?
Oh, that looks good.
-Al, myself, and other mechanics who are seasoned.
We're leaving an industry
and we're passing it off to the next generation.
When the operator can get on that machine
and start doing what he needs to do,
you see it instantly as soon as you repair it, you fix it.
I love it.
I'll let the operator know we're done.
If he doesn't have anything else for us, then we're done.
-Who's going to show up and do it?
And be happy to help, and be proactive?
And want to do the job?
And that's how I feel with Al and with Juan,
is that they're invaluable.
-I take great pride in my work.
I'm very proud of my work. No more leak.
It gives me a lot of satisfaction.
-As you just saw,
the work done by the City of Seattle Fleet Mechanics
helps to keep the water running.
If you'd like to learn more
about this vital natural resource,
visit the Cedar River Watershed Education Center in North Bend.
It's open year round. Next on CityStream,
the Black Farmers Collective interconnects
the environment with community.
But what they grow is much more than just food.
♪♪
Across town, perched high above the din of I-5 traffic,
you might be surprised to find a little oasis known as Yes Farm.
This 1 and 1/2 acre gem is home to the Black Farmers Collective,
a dedicated group of urban food activists.
Since 2018,
they've been growing healthy food
and getting it to people who need it.
While teaching their community about sustainable urban farming.
All this is helping the collective fulfill its mission
of building a Black-led food system
that reconnects people to the land.
Producers Kathy Tuohey and Valerie Vozza have the story.
-You know, when I go down to Yes Farm early in the morning,
you know, I do feel a little sense of calm, right?
You move from the -- -- bustle of the city
to a real farm space.
So it is a calming place to go.
We actually started the Black Farmers Collective
in response to an opportunity to farm the freeway
right-of-way in central Seattle.
Yesler Terrace was being redeveloped
by Seattle Housing Authority.
And we put together a proposal to create an urban farm
and then started the project.
I've always enjoyed growing plants.
And after a career as a science teacher,
I was looking at health disparities
in Black and POC communities.
So I felt that growing a little of your own food
was one of the best things you can do for yourself.
So I started to try to support urban farming.
We started with small plots.
And then with community help
and help with lots of other organizations,
we partnered together to be able to build the farm
that exists today.
This includes a greenhouse.
We've got an area to grow crops
that we put out into the food system.
This whole area is our community garden plot.
And we give spaces for members of the community
to come down and grow the food
that they want to grow for themselves and their families.
-The last three years, I've been coming up
and planting my garden and praying over my garden
and watching it grow.
That's what I've been doing.
-One of our local connections is Seattle University.
And so over the years,
we've invited classes down there to be able to plant
and get connected with community,
and really learn about the local food system.
We certainly want to raise the capacity of Black people,
especially young people.
In order to be part of that food system,
and to create that culture there.
Hey, here we are.
About to start some science.
Today, we have, you know,
one of our opportunities that we like to offer youth.
and so ACE's program is bringing some middle school youth
to the farm today as part of their summer program.
You know, after you cook and eat,
you compost the food, right? Can we talk about that?
-Can you take this rake and get all --
you see all the brown leaves on the floor?
Just make them into a pile.
-And we're going to work on harvesting, I think, today.
And maybe if we have time,
they can spread some of the milfoil
around some of the tomatoes.
-This plant, you can tell, has a lot of aphids on it.
-Farming's a lot of work,
and so we really depend on our managers.
-This is my third season farming.
I'm a recipient of, like, Ray's dream here,
which is to bring up Black leadership.
And so that's why Ray's been a great mentor,
because that's what it's been.
-Got it. -Excellent.
-We look at it as not just growing food,
but being part of the distribution system.
And then we can just pick off this one right here.
-Okay.
-We sell it to organizations that are going to give it away.
So we have a lot of connections with hunger relief organizations
to get fresh food into the system.
One of the things we like to do
is teach folks about the contributions
of African Americans to the food system in general.
Black labor and genius really helped build this country.
Folks were stolen from Africa
because they knew how to grow food.
Post-Civil War, Black folks still were able to work,
and buy land, and have a lot of farms in the United States.
But over the course of the last 100 years,
there's been a real loss of Black farm ownership.
We certainly want to start to reclaim some of that farmland.
And we were able to lease these 4 acres,
Small Axe Farm in Redmond.
-Been here for four years and started the farm really.
It was just a field of weeds before that.
-I was very lucky to meet Masra, our farm manager here.
He's grown up with the farm in terms of managing the space.
Small Axe Farm is about farm production,
but it's also about supporting other farmers.
So we have five guest farmers here that are
either learning how to farm, expanding their operation,
or growing small businesses.
-Well, I've been here for two years.
My business is Urban Farm.
We grow herbs and hot peppers.
They're not ripe yet. They're just starting to ripen.
We make seasonings and hot sauce.
We sell at Pike Place Market year-round to tourists
from all around the world.
I've been in three lease spaces.
This is the third.
By far the most support, most structure,
and potential for good yield, as they say.
-Well, we really appreciate you, you know,
being out here and supporting this,
you know, by sharing your wealth here.
So it's great.
-My pleasure. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Yes, it's been a great experience so far.
-Our hopes for the future
are to reverse the trend of Black land loss.
To be able to be in a position to buy land,
acquire land, create more and more farmland,
and support local farming.
-If this inspires you to roll up your sleeves
and get your hands in the dirt,
Yes Farm invites volunteers to the farm most Saturdays.
For more information, just go to blackfarmerscollective.com.
Talk about determination.
For decades, UDub women rowers strived for excellence.
See how they achieved it as CityStream continues.
♪♪
In the recent Paris Olympics,
University of Washington alumni fared well in rowing events.
It's a legacy that dates to the 1936 Olympics,
when UDub rowers won gold.
Their story was immortalized in the book and movie,
"The Boys in the Boat."
Since then,
women rowers at the UDub
have also reached the pinnacle of success.
And as producers Kathy Tuohey and Valerie Vozza explain,
at times they had to rock the boat to do it.
-It's early morning at the University of Washington.
The sun has just cracked the horizon.
The lake is calm and still.
But the Conibear Shellhouse is buzzing.
-Water's beautiful.
Coxswains, we're going to go to the space needle.
Go straight through the cut.
-And for the Husky women's crew, it's time to get to work.
-I said just go nice and slow.
-Do you know what size right you need?
-The shells cut through the lake with ease.
But it takes hard work to make it look so effortless.
-Separate and flow. Yes, nice.
-Guiding the team through today's workout
is head coach Yasmin Farooq, or Yaz as she's called.
-The core is connecting your hand to the blade.
-She's laser focused,
analyzing every stroke as they progress through the practice.
-This is my eighth year at Washington.
I was at Stanford for 10 years before that,
and I was on the US team for eight years.
-She was also a two-time Olympian.
-Rowing is a power endurance sport.
Keep your body level. Body level.
So we have to train a lot of systems.
And that's why we literally train all year round.
So there's certainly the aerobic capacity is important.
And you train that by doing a lot of what we call steady state
or low intensity miles.
Then there's also power,
which you need to get off the line and to be able to sprint.
So we do a lot of lifting.
We lift two to three times a week,
depending on the time of year.
-And then there are the intangibles.
-It's the people.
And it is what they are willing to do for one another.
The character that they have,
like that transcends everything else.
That's the most important.
-The unwavering determination of today's teams
can be traced back to the early pioneers of the sport.
-The history of the University of Washington
women's program is exceptional.
It's always been defined by these women
that were breaking barriers.
You know, that were carving new paths.
And that's what they were doing.
They were coming down to row.
-The first documented report of women's rowing
at Washington was in 1903. But it didn't really take off
until Hiram Conibear was hired as the coach in 1906.
-Hiram Conibear is the classic founder.
He is our founder.
Even though we had started rowing before he arrived,
he is the founder of Washington Rowing.
-Conibear was a huge advocate for women's rowing
and wanted women to train just as vigorously
as the men and to compete.
College administrators, however, disagreed.
They thought a beauty contest with matching outfits
and graceful sculling was more ladylike.
-And Hiram Conibear each time pushed back
at the University of Washington.
He would not be stopped. He just would not be stopped.
-Conditions for the women were dreadful.
Their boat shed was cold, leaky, and had no bathroom.
They had to trudge through muddy trails at 6:00 am
to get to the men's boathouse to borrow their boats.
And they were forbidden to race. But secretly --
-They'd go around the corner and go full power.
For sure. -Over the next decade,
three influential women coaches continued Conibear's work,
growing the program into the most popular athletic activity
for women on campus.
Then, in 1917, the program abruptly ended.
-It was Hiram Conibear dying.
So right there, they lost their number one advocate.
It was World War I starting.
So suddenly campus was radically changed.
The boathouse was closed.
-And women's rowing disappeared for five decades.
It wasn't until 1968
that rowing returned to campus as a club sport.
And again, they put up with inadequate funding,
hand-me-down equipment, and harassment from the male rowers.
-The '70s were marked by this transition
that was created by Title IX.
And so they went from being a club sport to a varsity sport.
-Conditions improved, but not without strong advocates
like athletic administrator Kit Green.
Under her guidance,
women's sports flourished and the rowing program took off.
-Because in 1980, Bob Ernst gets hired as the head coach,
and the women became incredibly competitive.
And they won the national championship in 1981,
and of course then won the national championship in '82,
and in '83, and in '84, and in '85.
So five national championships in a row.
It's never been done since.
-Another gifted coach followed Ernst.
Jan Harville, former Washington rower and women's
assistant coach, took over as head coach in 1987.
She led the Huskies to 11 Pac-10 championships,
three NCAA championships,
and was coach of the year nine times before retiring in 2003.
For the next 13 years,
the Husky women continue to perform at the highest level.
Adding more accolades to the team's storied history.
-All of those chapters of this history are
why we have what we have today.
We wouldn't be who we are if it wasn't for those women.
And everybody on this team knows that, and they appreciate it.
-When Yaz came on board in 2016,
she inherited a team that was highly motivated.
So motivated that in 2017,
they became the first school in NCAA history
to sweep all three final races and claim the NCAA title.
--- Washington!
-Then in 2019, the team was poised to sweep their way
to the NCAA title again.
And nothing sums up the tenacity and grit of the Husky women,
present and past,
like the epic Varsity 8 comeback race from last to first.
-Washington now is in sixth.
We're coming in to the last 500 and guess what?
We got speed!
Here comes Washington now moving through Cal's.
Margins are getting tight. Jump! Jump!
Last turn! We got it! We got -- Final time as 6:07.2.
University of Washington.
-And for everybody back home.
We are national champions!
-Wow, what a story.
Well, that's all for this edition of CityStream
near the University of Washington.
If you'd like to see more outstanding
Seattle Channel programs, go to our website, seattlechannel.org,
and search for feature shows.
I'm Enrique Cerna.
Thanks for watching.
♪♪