Leslie Bland, a former Fenton City Council member who also served as the city’s director of the Department of Public Works for more than 40 years, died unexpectedly Sunday. He was 70.

Visitation will be held Thursday from 1-4 and 6-9 pm at Sharp Funeral Home in Fenton while the funeral service will be held at 1pm Friday at the Freedom Center. Bland’s accomplishments include overseeing the construction of Fenton’s state-of-the-art Water Treatment and Department of Public Works facility, which was renamed last month in his honor. He was the past President of the American Public Works Association and was named as one of the Top Ten D.P.W. Directors in the Nation.

Bland was reportedly planning to run for another term on Fenton City Council again this November. (AS/JK)