With the permission of the Kirkwood Historical Society, the following excerpts on the beginnings of the Kirkwood Public Works Department are provided from “A History of Kirkwood,” by June Wilkinson Dahl, published in 1965 by the Kirkwood Historical Society of Kirkwood, Missouri, pp. 208-209.

Sanitation History:

... By the time spring came in 1919 and the sun began to shine again, Kirkwood residents could look back at the long, cold and unhappy winter of 1918-1919 with the feeling that it had been bad but it could have been worse so they turned their attention to other problems which still existed in their little city. One matter which had been conspicuous by its absence from the records of both the trustees and the aldermen concerned garbage collection. Not since the days when the trustees declared it to be a misdemeanor to deposit garbage on the public thoroughfares had the matter of garbage and trash disposal found its way into the deliberations of the governing bodies of Kirkwood. This was probably because the aldermen were too involved with other problems because the problem did exist. The editor of the Kirkwood Tablet mentioned on July 4, 1908, that:

"The aldermen should take action and provide garbage cans for the business streets and also pass an ordinance requiring that waste things be placed in them. Some people are in the habit of throwing almost anything on the sidewalks and streets. Banana peelings are dangerous when thrown on the sidewalks and the waste paper flying about the streets give the city a decidedly untidy appearance."

In 1916 a solution to the problem of garbage disposal was presented by a Mr. Frank Goffke who offered to collect it at no expense to the city but the aldermen took no action on his proposal, referring it, instead, to the Board of Health. Shortly thereafter the Butler Hog Farm was given permission to collect garbage from all families "who care to furnish it."

Since there was no municipal sanitation system for the collection of garbage and other refuse, most Kirkwood families had refuse pits some place on their property where all garbage was deposited and into which most children managed to fall with some degree of regularity! Like the proverbial puddle of water around which no small boy ever walks, garbage pits seemed to attract the younger generation almost magnetically in spite of maternal admonitions!

Streets History, pages 210, 214:

... The Board of Aldermen addressed themselves to an unbelievably large number of problems during the thirty-one years that they served as the governing bodies of Kirkwood. One of the problems which consumed a large portion of their time was the improvement of Kirkwood's streets. The first improvement initiated by the aldermen was the sprinkling of streets as soon as the water mains had been laid and street hydrants were in operation. This was most welcome because the dust had been a real nuisance. Establishing grades, curbing, guttering, oiling, sprinkling, macadamizing, building of culverts and hearing protests of residents who did not want to be taxed for street improvements were among the problems which the Board of Aldermen handled between 1906 and the outbreak of World War I. Aldermen and residents discussed in detail the proposed improvement of almost every street in the city before any action was taken.

... The alternate thawing and freezing during the winter always took its toll on the streets and each year one reliable harbinger of spring was the appearance of new holes in the surface of the streets. Sometimes repairs were not made on the less heavily traveled streets for several months because the street maintenance crew  was small. The aldermen usually received complaints if residents did not feel that repair work was being done promptly enough! In July, 1929, one resident insisted that the Board of Aldermen pay for two broken springs on his automobile. Both had been broken when he struck the same hole in the street twice! Maybe July 22 in 1929 was one of those hot, humid days when a sense of humor has been known to leave even the most light hearted! At any rate, something caused the aldermen to take a very dim view of the problem of the bill of the two broken springs of the car which fell in the same hole twice! Snapped one member of the Board of Aldermen, "This bill should not be paid in view of the fact that this man hit the same hole twice ... and after hitting it once, he should have been on the look-out for it!"

Maintenance Division History, page 216:

... In July, 1920, the city purchased a much needed tractor to be used in street maintenance work. To these two machines the aldermen decided in 1921 to add a "Ford Roadster" to be used by city officials in the discharge of their official duties. Because this mechanical equipment required regular maintenance, the aldermen felt it was advisable to employ a mechanic to look after "the road machinery and other machines" at a salary of $25 per month. This very simple arrangement was the first of many steps which eventually led to the award-winning maintenance department of 1964 under the supervision of Jesse C. Farrar. From a total of four machines (the fire engine, the Ford truck, the tractor, and the "roadster") owned by the city and maintained by one mechanic, Kirkwood's rolling stock grew to a total in 1964 of eighty-four pieces of equipment of all types. The little one-man garage next to the jail grew to the present city garage on Monroe and Taylor Avenues where a crew of seven men under Mr. Farrar's supervision keep the vehicles for the police, fire, street, park, forestry, water, sanitation, and electric departments of the city of Kirkwood in top running order.

Building Commissioner's Office History, page 217:

... The growth of Kirkwood not only created a need for enlarged facilities in which to carry on the administrative work of the city, but it also meant that the aldermen received an increasing number of requests for building permits of all types of structures. This was really a two-fold problem. It involved the establishment and enforcement of building codes and secondly, it involved the problem of an over-all plan for the city. The Missouri state legislature passed an act in 1925 authorizing zoning ordinances in cities. Very shortly thereafter Kirkwood's City Attorney, Robert C. Powell, suggested that Kirkwood invite Harlan Bartholemew to address the Board of Aldermen on the subject of zoning. The idea was so well received that the explanation to the residents of Kirkwood resulted in private subscriptions totaling almost $1,500 from 103 individuals and businesses for the purpose of employing Mr. Bartholemew to set up a plan for Kirkwood's development.

As soon as arrangements were completed, Bartholemew and Associates made a complete survey of Kirkwood and then recommended the establishment of districts into which the city should be divided so that it would develop along prearranged lines. Some areas were established for single family dwellings only while others were set aside for two-family residences as well as apartments. Plans were set up for the building of community stores, commercial establishments, and light and heavy industry.

Planning & Zoning Ordinance and Commission History,
page 218:

In 1927, Mayor R.L. Jacobsmeyer appointed a Zoning and Planning Commission, of which J.R. Thursby was chairman. Others who worked with Mr. Thursby in long-range planning for Kirkwood were George M. Schmick, Dan Kelly, R.M. Henley, M.R. McDonnell, W.C. Berry, Paul Y. Versen, and William J. Donworth. The original zoning ordinance was not revised until 1936, but since that time there have been several revisions as needed. One portion of the Zoning Ordinance was reminiscent of ordinances established by early Boards of Trustees for the Zoning Ordinance prohibited the establishment in Kirkwood of those enterprises which "... in general may be obnoxious, or offensive by reason of emission of odor, dust, smoke, gas or noise." After the ordinance was passed, its legality was questioned and tested in the Circuit Court in 1929, but it was upheld. From time to time there have been rumblings from a few disgruntled residents who have run afoul of the ordinance's provisions but most Kirkwoodians have agreed with William H. Wilson when he wrote many years later that, "A city is not beautiful by accident. It is, by design or indifference, an ugly, unplanned array of buildings and streets that becomes beautiful only when men strive to transform its deformities."