April 18 is federal income tax deadline day this year. It’s also Lineman Appreciation Day, according to the Board of Public Utilities.
For those who haven’t done their taxes yet, they have until the end of the day to get them postmarked, or apply for an extension. Some of the Wyandotte County post offices close at 5 p.m.
According to information from BPU spokesman David Mehlhaff, National Lineman Appreciation Day was officially recognized in 2013 by the U.S. Senate.
BPU has 45 linemen who often work in challenging conditions to protect public safety, he stated.
They are trained through an apprenticeship program that requires 8,000 working hours and 288 classroom hours, he stated.
The BPU line crews maintain nearly 3,300 miles of distribution lines, 60,00 poles and more than 19,000 streetlights and 9,000 traffic signals, he stated. They also work overhead and underground distribution, as well as transmission maintenance.