This year’s theme for Public Works Week is “Connecting The World Through Public Works,” which aims to highlight how public works professionals connect residents physically through infrastructure and inspirationally through community service.
Mayor Clive Tolley and employees from city hall gathered at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) behind the Great Plains Power Station in the agri-food industrial park on May 2 to proclaim May 21 to 27 as Public Works Week.
“Whether it’s repairing infrastructure, ensuring safe drinking water, collecting our garbage, beautifying our green spaces and more, public works employees improve the quality of life for all Moose Javians,” the mayor said. “I encourage all residents to take some time during Public Works Week to appreciate the multiple ways our public works employees positively impact Moose Jaw.”
The public works department looks after several city services and infrastructure items, such as streets and roads, bridges, water and wastewater, public transportation, parks and green space maintenance, and building and venue maintenance.
“I think it’s very important to recognize public works employees. They’re not recognized very often, so to take that week and recognize what we do and how we are in the community and we serve our communities and we’re there for our communities (and) to ensure that everybody has a better quality of life (is critical),” said Staci Dobrescu, utilities supervisor of water and wastewater (underground infrastructure).
People should consider a job in public works since it can be a long-term career, said Dobrescu, who has worked for the City of Moose Jaw for more than 25 years. She pointed out that there are many municipal jobs to pursue, whether it’s being an accountant at city hall or a labourer fixing roads.
Furthermore, people can pursue another job within the organization once they are working for the city and can move from working inside city hall to working outside or at another municipal building, she continued. She started as a labourer and is now the utilities supervisor of water and wastewater.
“So it gives you a lot of opportunity for different career paths,” Dobrescu added.
To celebrate Public Works Week, the municipality is hosting an open house at its city complex at 1010 High Street West on Wednesday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be live demonstrations of machines, games, food, face painting, discussions with employees and equipment to touch and inspect.
High school students are encouraged to attend around 10 a.m. to learn about careers with the City of Moose Jaw.
“I love seeing it. I love seeing people interested in public works and actually finding out what we do in the processes that we take to do our front-line work and to do all the work in the city,” said Dobrescu.
“If they (residents) didn’t have public works, the roads wouldn’t be very driveable (and) they wouldn’t be clear. You wouldn’t have sewer (and) you wouldn’t have water,” she continued. “So (it’s important to recognize) those unsung heroes that people don’t normally think of.”
Many people don’t realize how important these services are until they don’t have them, at which point, they make angry calls to city hall demanding action, Dobrescu added with a laugh. But, the great thing about public works staff is they understand what residents are experiencing and desire to help solve those problems.
