When Peyton Wassenaar began to think about what would get people’s attention if painted on a snowplow, a trio of dancing penguins came to mind.

“I thought it would be a little different,” the sixth graders said on a day when her design was unveiled in Macomb County’s “Paint the Plow” contest.

This year, MCDR partnered with Collins Elementary School art teacher Jennifer Lehrer and Utica Community Schools to paint one of the department’s snowplows ahead of the winter season.  

Sixth grade art students from Collins Elementary School submitted designs to paint the plow in the fall. 24 students submitted artwork and the winning design was voted on by Macomb County and MCDR staff.

““Snowplows are usually frowned upon by our students on days when there is potential for school to be called off due to inclement weather,” superintendent Robert Monroe said. “It’s nice that our students have given this snowplow some love by putting it out there in a positive way with something that will put a smile on the face of commuters.”

MCDR has more than 100 snowplows, salt trucks and graders in its fleet and more than 100 maintenance employees that are dedicated to keeping the roads clear of ice and snow.

“The team at the Department of Roads works tirelessly to keep the roads as safe as possible during winter weather operations and we value the high level of public service the Department of Roads provides,” said Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel. “Thanks to the work of students at Collins Elementary School, one of our snowplows will be hitting the roads in style. We appreciate all of the students and staff for decorating our snowplow with artwork for the entire community to enjoy.”

The winning design was unveiled Monday by Mark Hackel, MCDR director Bryan Santo, Monroe, Lehrer, and sixth grade students from Collins Elementary School.

“Our team is impressed by the creativity and talent of the students at Collins Elementary School and our road crews look forward to putting the plow to work,” said MCDR Director Bryan Santo. “The paint the plow program serves as a friendly reminder to the motoring public to stay safe and steer clear of the plows during winter weather operations.”

This is the second plow to be painted as part of MCDR’s paint the plow program. Previously, MCDR partnered with Switzer Elementary School to paint one of the department’s snowplows, which is still in service today. Macomb County residents can look for the decorated plows this winter, which serve as a valuable reminder of the work MCDR professionals do to maintain a safe and drivable road system for all road users.