The sound of heavy vehicle horns and children’s laughter filled the air at the City of Moose Jaw’s main yard as young students learned about the municipality’s public works activities.
The city hosted its annual Public Works Week open house on May 18 at the city complex at 1010 High Street West, the first time it had done so in three years. The open house was part of the city’s overall activities to celebrate Public Works Week from May 15 to 21; this year’s theme was “Ready and Resilient.”
During the half-day event, the city welcomed students from Sunningdale, Palliser, St. Michael and Sacred Heart schools and clients of Diversified Services to see static heavy equipment displays. Furthermore, attendees participated in games and other demonstrations hosted by employees from public works and parks and recreation.
There was also an onsite barbecue, with all proceeds going to the Family First Radiothon.
For Grade 5 student Kaidan Heard, one of the exciting things he did was jump behind the wheel of a truck and honk the horn — repeatedly. He also sat in the driver’s seat of a Zamboni and a backhoe.
“I’ve driven some of these already (including) the gator and the truck,” the Sunningdale School student remarked. “It’s also fun learning what the machines do.”
Grade 2 students at St. Michael School spent the past month learning about what machines are used to maintain the city, so attending the open house was a great way to acquire hands-on experience, said teacher Kendra Gauthier.
With a chuckle, Gauthier noted that her students were excited to sit in vehicles, honk horns and get up close to the equipment.
“The kids learn in so many different ways, and these can be jobs they do when they eventually grow up,” she added.
Plenty of work went into planning the open house, as some staff from the public works department met four or five times during the last six weeks to organize the day, explained director Darrin Stephanson. Those six weeks allowed staff to develop a theme and consider what activities to hold.
The theme of “Ready and Resilient” was a superhero theme, which is why some public works employees wore capes and dressed up, he continued. That theme also describes the city’s services in general and public works specifically and how it responds to emergencies.
“Fantastic!” Stephanson exclaimed when asked how it felt to host an open house after three years. “We missed having the kids here. The staff really actually enjoy the interaction with kids and the chance to get in the vehicles and touch and feel things and see what it is we do on a daily basis to get that understanding.”
While face painting and a large Connect 4 were popular, many students also enjoyed the water races, the public works director remarked. Youths could take water pitchers, dump the liquid into pipes, and watch it drain out the end.
“What we’re trying to do is demonstrate what happens when you flush your toilet, for instance, and water rushes through your pipes,” said Stephanson.
Besides water and sewer, other areas that public works supports include streets and roads, grading, pothole repairs, the landfill, bridges, public transportation, vehicle maintenance, supporting parks and recreation, repairing outdoor sports venues, and building maintenance.
Stephanson added that the open house was an educational experience that allowed kids to see what the city does and understand what it takes to run the community — their community.
