Overview:
- Damon Garrett has served as Highland Park's Water Department Director for 10 years, overseeing safe drinking water delivery and regulatory compliance
- Highland Park is in the midst of replacing 100-year-old water service lines in a project running from 2017 to 2033, funded by $100 million after a lawsuit settlement
- As one of the few licensed Black engineers in Michigan, Garrett emphasizes the importance of representation in majority-Black communities facing water infrastructure challenges
Planet Detroit’s neighborhood reporters are local residents who cover health, environment and climate issues in their neighborhoods. The Lab is made possible with the generous support of the Kresge Foundation.
For the first half of Damon Garrett’s career as a civil engineer, he was doing a lot of projects, but found himself unfulfilled. Being an engineer, managing projects, and doing land development work all just felt like a job, not like a passion.
But when he transitioned to his role at Highland Park as Director of the Water Department, he felt a strong sense of purpose.
While the day-to-day can be chaotic, he finds meaning in helping the city’s people. His days can include speaking to residents, working with the city manager, managing projects, and handling finance.
“Sometimes it involves technical items, sometimes it’s just talking to people,” he said.
Garrett has been the director of the Highland Park Water Department for a decade. He ensures that the city is up to date on all regulations and that there is safe drinking water for all residents and commercial businesses.
His journey with Highland Park began two years before he became the director. The city had issued an RFP, or request for proposals, for engineering services. A request for proposals is an open call for a project in which contractors are selected through a bidding process.
Garrett did not know much about Highland Park. For a while, nothing really happened with the RFP. But family connections soon had him in the city hall boardroom, talking with the city administrator. This led to work on stormwater management and helping with a lawsuit by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Two years later, Damon received a call asking whether he would be interested in serving as the Water Department Director. He responded, “Why not?”
Garrett had very little insight into Highland Park’s water infrastructure issues. From 2012 to 2017, Highland Park was forced to switch to Detroit Water and Sewerage after having run an independent water utility since 1915. A long-standing dispute between the city and the Great Lakes Water Authority has added to the challenges.
After 100 years, Highland Park’s waterlines are finally being serviced. The project started in 2017, with the goal of being finished by 2033.
A job with purpose
Working in Highland Park has given him purpose, knowing he is changing the lives of the community and helping people who look like him. For many majority-Black communities, it is rare to have someone in Garrett’s position.
“‘Cause in most of the communities that look like Highland Park, they’re represented by people who don’t look like them. So, you know, how do they identify with the people?” he stated with conviction.
During high school, he interned with the Michigan Department of Transportation and began studying physics at Michigan State University.
However, he found himself bored, sleeping through lectures, and wanting more. After a conversation with his mom, he explored the idea of majoring in engineering. He stood outside the dean’s office and randomly selected civil engineering.
Helping people who ‘look like me’
Garrett finds himself in a unique position, as one of the few licensed Black engineers in Michigan. There aren’t many people who look like him and have the opportunity to represent a community such as Highland Park. He wishes he could clone himself and help communities all over the country.
“I would do it again if somebody asked, and I had no idea what I was getting into,” he said. “It’s stressful. It becomes emotional at times when you know that people are trying to take advantage of the community and there’s really nothing you can do, so the emotions run high.”
Highland Park was involved in a lawsuit with the Great Lakes Water Authority, a 10-year legal battle in which old contracts were still being upheld and did not align with the city’s present-day circumstances. Garrett expresses his disappointment in how communities like Highland Park, Flint, Benton Harbor, and other black and brown communities are often portrayed by the media when situations like this occur.
Although the city did not win the lawsuit, $100 million was allocated for infrastructure repairs. These days, if you pass through some of the residential streets of Highland Park, there are construction signs everywhere, and residents can often hear trucks working outside their homes all day.
While Garrett is truly passionate about the work he and his team are doing, the future of the Highland Park Water Department hangs in the balance. The work on the water service lines is only one step towards a bright future in Highland Park.
He emphasizes the importance of the handoff process after all the work they have done. If Garrett and his team are no longer in the city, he hopes the city will be staffed with its own team to continue maintaining it, so that Highland Park won’t have to repeat history.
The residents of Highland Park are passionate about their city and make sure their voices are heard. While at times dealing with the opinions and thoughts of everyone can be stressful, as it is impossible to please everyone, Garrett is thankful to those who do speak up; during city council meetings, online, and even face-to-face.
“If I were retiring today, I would say that’s one of the things I’m most proud about, you know, being able to help people that look like me in a community, kind of similar to where I grew up.”
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