City hosts open house to celebrate Public Works Week

Hundreds of Regina elementary school students got an up-close look at a variety of city vehicles on Thursday.

They were invited to an open house at the Public Works Yard on Albert Street celebrating Public Works Week – a week dedicated to honouring city workers and the many projects they contribute to.

Mayor Sandra Masters said the week is about recognizing some unsung heroes.

“It’s frankly a little bit of honouring the hard work that goes into everything from alley repair to underpasses, overpasses, roads, water and sewer – but all of that work that happens for all of the services that people depend upon in their day-to-day life,” Masters said.

Mayor Sandra Masters said it was an opportunity to praise the unsung heroes who maintain essential services around Regina. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

“We got a bunch of really good folks here who do really good work, and they’re protecting and rejuvenating the infrastructure of our city.”

Masters said it was an important message to share, especially to kids who had the opportunity to learn how city projects worked on Thursday.

“They get to see some pretty cool machinery,” Masters said.

“They get to talk to some dedicated city staff and maybe learn a little bit more about how their taps turn on, their toilets flush and how the roads are – hopefully – smooth once we fill the potholes.”

The city showed off machines like the Elliot snowblower, graders, a mini garbage truck and a hydrovac truck used by the sewer department. Aerial trucks, street sweepers and an emergency water supply tanker were also on display.

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Deputy city manager Kurtis Doney said it was important for the public to know what the city is doing, adding that it’s also important for city workers to have pride in what they do.

All kinds of city vehicles were on display Thursday, including aerial trucks. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

“When the kids are driving down the road with mom and dad, they’re gonna see the construction happening,” Doney said.

“They can say ‘Oh, I’ve seen that equipment’ or ‘I’ve seen the individual that’s working on that,’ and it makes it real for them to know that the important work we do to repair the roads and fix the water mains is really to improve the quality of life for everyone in Regina.”

Doney said things are progressing as planned for the start of the city’s $282 million construction season.

“We’re looking forward to a long construction season with some rain, but not too many rain delays,” Doney said.

“(Rain) has the biggest impact on the timing of construction season. Things are going really well, and we’re adapting as we go and making adjustments as needed.”

Public Works Week runs from May 19 to May 25.