People Who Shape Pierce: Bill Wragge
Launch the media gallery 1 playerBy Elizabeth Furstenau
The town of Pierce, Nebraska, is well-rounded with a respectful community, but who are the people who help make it what it is? Who are the people who shape Pierce?
The streets of Pierce are not an easy job to take over. Whether it is the historic brick or the newly paved cement, Bill Wragge works hard to keep the streets of the town smooth and busy.
The position of street department superintendent was sort of handed to Wragge. He began as the assistant to the prior superintendent, Ed Sporleder. Three years later, in May of 2022, Sporleder retired, giving Wragge the new position of superintendent. Currently, the position of assistant is not filled. Other retirees of the position include Paul Hilkemann and Gerald Hixson.
Wragge is in charge of all of the snow removal, repairs to roads, roadkill, painting of the crosswalks, and a few more items. Any time the lightposts are decorated with wreaths or flags, it is all thanks to Wragge.
Looking at old newspapers, it is clear that almost all of the streets in town were brick. The maintenance of the brick roads began to become too costly. About two years ago, the infamous dip in the road near Pierce Telephone Company was repaired. For years, the intersection tormented drivers as they slowed down to avoid dinging their vehicle.
Wragge states that they “had a lot of complaints from the people to take care of that, and I think over the years, they were getting worse just because the concrete below was failing.”
What many people may not know is that the road was built with the dip already in the ground. Thanks to Wragge, the road is now smooth as can be, and it is safe to drive on without the stress of ruining the front bumper. The leftover bricks from the project now sit at the city dumpsite.
“I have a pile at the dumpsite, but I kind of want to save them,” Wragge claims. “If somebody wants a few, they can have a few bricks, but I don’t want to give up too many of them yet.”
There are future projects in the works for the streets. Once they get the money to put the plans into motion, the streets will be in progress to become bigger and better pavements.
Thank you, Bill Wragge, for the hard work you do for the town. The members of the Pierce community appreciate all that you do.
