Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

CITY OF KAMLOOPS

Kamloops celebrates Public Works Week with Civic Operations open house

May 27, 2019 | 4:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — Every day in our city, hundreds of people go about their jobs in the Civic Operations department. It may be street sweeping, or snow clearing, or mowing the sports fields we play on, but they all fill essential roles and make sure that the day-to-day lives of the citizens of Kamloops run smoothly.

On Saturday, the city held an open house to recognize the efforts of those hard-working individuals. CFJC Today was there to learn a little bit about how and why the Civic Operations staff do what they do.

Wade Archambault is passionate about water treatment.

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On Saturday, he was one of many Civic Operations employees hanging out at the City of Kamloops yard speaking with the public. You can tell he’s proud of the work he does on behalf of the citizens of the city.

“At the very start, we treat [our water] to a higher standard than you’re going to find in any community through North America,” Archambault told CFJC Today.

Civic Operations includes nearly all the services the city provides. From By-Law enforcement to the RCMP and Kamloops Fire Rescue, to all the utilities the city oversees. Jen Fretz is in charge of a whole lot of people and equipment.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“We have over 350 people working in Civic Operations,” Fretz explained. “That’s a huge amount of work that can be done each and every day in the community.”

Fretz’s official title is Sustainability and Environmental Services manager, but she’s quick to give credit to the public servants on the front lines, who keep the city running.

“The men and women who do the work here are truly the unsung heroes of the city,” Fretz said. “The best thing they can do is do the work… without the public even noticing.”

Archambault says he’s happy working behind the scenes, as long as residents in the community remain safe, comfortable, and healthy.

“Everyone seems to be happy when they turn on the tap and the water comes out,” Archambault said. “As long we’re keeping people happy, we kind of sit in the background and people don’t know about [our work] so much, but it still makes up happy, knowing we’re keeping people safe.”