Public Works Week

The City of Port Moody invites children and youth to celebrate Public Works Week (May 21 to 27, 2023) by designing a poster that shines a light on how our public works professionals contribute to the excellent quality of life that we enjoy in our community.

“Many of our public works staff are highly visible, like our parks and environment, horticulture and urban forestry, roads, and waste collection teams – while others are working behind the scenes, like our sewer and water teams, administrative professionals, and fleet mechanics” said Mayor Meghan Lahti. “In all cases, our public works staff are exceptional at what they do, and they are a big part of what makes Port Moody such an amazing place to live and work. Please join me in celebrating the significant contributions of our public works professionals.”

Download a poster template or pick one up at City Hall (100 Newport Drive). Design a poster that showcases any part of public works and submit your design to the reception desk at City Hall by 5pm on Friday, May 26, 2023 for a chance to win a prize. Winners will be determined by a random draw, with prizes awarded by age group (two to six years, seven to 11 years, and 12 to 16 years).

During Public Works Week, we encourage you to visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Over seven days, we’ll use our social media channels to share how our public works professionals make a difference in the daily lives of Port Moody residents, including:

  • Fleet mechanics: this team services over 152 vehicles and trailers, as well as over 250 pieces of small equipment like weed trimmers and leaf blowers.
  • Urban forestry: this crew plants 620 trees as part of our yearly restoration, urban forest enhancement, and street tree planting programs. Overall, staff manage more than 390 hectares of tree canopy – that’s over 720 football fields!
  • Shared services administration: this team answers around 300 calls and emails every week, fielding your questions about garbage, recycling, water, sewer, trees, parks, snow, and so much more!
  • Sewer: this group keeps our wastewater collection system running – that’s the network of pipes that removes soapy water and toilet waste from your home. Staff clean around 8,000 metres of sanitary sewer annually – the equivalent of 20 laps around the track at North Shore Community Park.
  • Solid Waste: this crew has five automated collection vehicles. Each truck will collect between 400 and 700 carts daily.
  • Horticulture: this team plants 12,000 annuals and 20,000 bulbs in our display beds and planters. Port Moody is also home to five climate-resilient gardens, three of which are also bat-friendly garden beds – staff work hard to enhance wildlife-friendly habitats.
  • Water: this group plays a key role in delivering clean, potable water. Staff inspect 600 hydrants per year and flush 35,000 metres of watermains annually.
  • Parks: this team maintains and inspects 32 parks and sports fields including soccer/baseball fields, playgrounds, spray parks, tennis courts, and sport courts.
  • Roads: this group helps keep the community moving. Staff operate and maintain more than 200 kilometres of roads along with the sidewalk and bike lane network.
  • Environment: this group develops ecological restoration plans to enhance natural habitat, supports spill response, and helps humans and wildlife co-exist through outreach and education.

Each year, Public Works Week is celebrated across Canada and the United States to educate people about the value and necessity of public works projects, and the contributions of public works professionals.