Melanie’s office where she spends time getting organized and doing office work.

Lunch time is for eating and dancing. The residents had quite a few dance moves to say the least.

The library is full of books and also has computers for residents to use.

Melanie getting the crowd going.

This is an important phrase that Melanie and everyone at the center deeply believes in.

Conducting business via phone.

Once the banners are updated with the new date they’re rolled back up. The next step is being hung up on George Street.

Banners that stretch from one side of the street to the other are quite expensive. Instead of producing a new one each year Pam simply applies the new dates and voila!

Pam is preparing signs for Restaurant Week 2019.

There is much work to be done today. Some of that work involves documenting vandalism.

Unfortunately people like to take their spray cans and adorn public and private property with various tags. Part of Pam’s job is making sure the buildings aren’t canvases for these escapades.

Talking with business owners about upcoming events and ways to promote their businesses.

A portrait of Brandon in the chambers of New Brunswick City Hall.

During any portrait project it’s important to get different facets of each personality captured. Here is a spontaneous smile that ended up being just right.

Visiting the water department to go over some tasks at hand.

This is one of my favorite portraits from the day spent with Brandon. I think it says a lot that he always had a pad or piece of paper with him.

A meeting at the New Brunswick Water Utility prior to our more in depth visit to inspect some things needed around the facility.

There was plenty of water to be found on this day. It all starts with clouds and ends up in your pitcher on the dinner table.

Peering through the vast collection of books at the New Brunswick Free Public Library.

One of the most interesting aspects of the physical library are the glass floors on the second level of the stacks. Before modern fluorescent lighting, the daylight from the windows helped the librarians see what they were looking for.

Above you can see the glass ceiling/floor and the numerous books available at the NBFPL.

Chelsea is ready for the busy day ahead working with the tweens.

This area of the library is headquarters for a good part of Chelsea’s day. Fielding questions is just one aspect of the position.

Whether it’s in a computer or on a shelf the job of a librarian involves looking for information.

A final wardrobe adjustment prior to a powerful poem.

This is one of my favorite photos I’ve taken. It ties into the message of the event like no other.

The city came together through words and music to celebrate on a hot June afternoon.

The new Paul Robeson Boulevard street sign is about to be unveiled.

The cover drops and the crowd reacts to the brand new street sign. Goodbye to Commercial Avenue and hello to Paul Robeson Boulevard!

The brand new intersection of Baldwin Street and Paul Robeson Boulevard.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” as the saying goes. This room dates back to the early 1900s. Although the technology is updated through the years, many of the old techniques are still used to this day. The lamp posts are an interesting characteristic, right?

24/7 testing of the water keeps the supply safe for the tens of thousands of city residents.

Touring the water treatment facility was beyond interesting. We take it for granted that such a place exists. The brick building behind Eric dates back to the 1800s. Water treatment has existed for many years.

Each tube of membranes contains individual strands that are actually hollow. This allows the water to pass through and be filtered.

Compressed air is pumped through the membrane.

We’re going up to the next level where the membranes are doing their job creating clean water for the city of New Brunswick.

Leslie is focused and spins around for a quick portrait at her desk.

The county clerk’s office is busy with emails, phone calls, faxes and paperwork. It takes a village…or city.

The safe depicted in this photo contains many volumes of documents pertaining to the city.

The City Clerk’s office is located in City Hall. It is one of the many moving parts that keep the city thriving.

The interior steps of City Hall are a perfect place for a simple portrait and then it’s back to work!

NBPD and their caravan visit Joyce Kilmer Park before departing for their final stop of the evening.

Selfies and group photos were plentiful during National Night Out.

Many of the people at the event knew each other and it was a big block party that everyone could enjoy.

It was a marathon of meeting and greeting everyone that wanted to say a few words and take some photos.

If I could sum up the evening it would be this; people talking with each other and having a good time doing it.

I took a lot of photos of people taking photos at the event. But this one is just a good old-fashioned photo of people looking directly at my camera.

The Henry Guest House was moved to library grounds in 1924 and is bordered by the Willow Grove Cemetery. (source: Wikipedia)

A view from Bob’s office…of Bob. There he is waving to the front desk on his way back upstairs.

A golden sunset on the steps of the library is exceptional and a perfect way to conclude this edition of “Civic Voices” with Bob.

Bob’s office is adorned with woodwork from days gone by.

We all spend a lot of time in front of screens and Bob is no different.

The windows in the office pivot from the center. This allows for the airflow to be directed. An interesting design to say the least.