DEPARTMENT MOURNS CITY ENGINEER SHAW.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer City workers on Monday mourned the tragic death of Rory Shaw, the Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. Department's go-to emergency engineer who manned middle-of-the-night crises, like the one that led to his demise. Shaw had been monitoring crews working at the massive Sun Valley sinkhole sinkhole or sink or doline Depression formed as underlying limestone bedrock is dissolved by groundwater. Sinkholes vary greatly in area and depth and may be very large. in the 8000 block of Tujunga Avenue late Sunday when the ground gave way and pitched him into the 30-foot-deep abyss, officials said. ``He was a hero for us,'' said city engineer Gary Lee Moore Sir Lee Llewellyn Moore (1939–6 May 2000) served as Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 20 May 1979 to 21 February 1980. He was a member of the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party. . ``He's truly one of the unsung heroes of the Department of Public Works ... just making sure the public had the services they deserve.'' Shaw, 47, a former Merchant Marine, came to the city in 1991, his first job after graduating from Michigan State University Michigan State University, at East Lansing; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855. It opened in 1857 as Michigan Agricultural College, the first state agricultural college. , Moore said. He rose through the ranks to become the department's trusted emergency engineer - rushing out in the middle of the night to handle a problem. His ``can do'' attitude was rewarded in December 2002 with the department's Gobe award - for going beyond the call of duty. ``He was just one of those guys. ... Everybody loved Rory,'' Moore said. A memorial service was being planned, along with counseling for staff members. Meanwhile, city officials could not say what triggered the massive 150- foot-diameter sinkhole, which continues to grow. The investigation and repair has been postponed until the rains subside sub·side intr.v. sub·sid·ed, sub·sid·ing, sub·sides 1. To sink to a lower or normal level. 2. To sink or settle down, as into a sofa. 3. To sink to the bottom, as a sediment. 4. , said Public Works spokeswoman Cora Jackson Fossett. ``It was an absolute catastrophic failure A catastrophic failure is a sudden and total failure of some system from which recovery is impossible. The affected system not only experiences destruction beyond any reasonable possibility of repair, but also frequently causes injury, death, or significant damage to other, often of the road,'' said Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California . City and county officials said sinkholes can occur any time the soil beneath a roadway slips away - rain or shine. That can happen when a hillside erodes or when an underground pipe cracks or breaks, creating an exit route for underground soil. Soil could also escape through other underground channels, such as an abandoned well or tunnel, said county Public Works spokesman Ken Pellman. The road can appear normal, but as the soil slips it becomes undermined, officials said. Staff Writer Kerry Cavanaugh contributed to this report. Lisa Mascaro, (818) 713-3761 lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) A massive sinkhole in the 8000 block of Tujunga Avenue in Sun Valley claimed the life of city public works engineer Rory Shaw late Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (2) SHAW Box: SINKHOLE CAUSES SOURCE: Daily News research Warren Huskey/Staff Artist |
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