From Ice to Green: How Pembina Place Staff Help Maintain Our Parks in the Summer
You might know our Parks and Facilities staff for the great work they do managing the arena in the winter months—keeping the ice in top condition for hockey games, figure skating, and community events. But once the ice comes down for the summer, these hardworking staff members don’t take a break. Instead, they switch their focus to maintaining our parks and green spaces, helping to keep our community looking beautiful and ensuring that outdoor areas are ready for everyone to enjoy.
Why Arena Staff Transition to Park Maintenance in the Summer
The Town operates efficiently year-round by making the most of its staff. Since the arena isn’t in use during the summer, the Parks and Facilities Team transitions to park maintenance, ensuring that all of our community’s outdoor spaces receive the attention they need.
This seasonal shift allows us to:
- Maximize Resources: By using the same staff for both arena and park maintenance, we ensure year-round employment without needing additional hires. This keeps our community operating smoothly while reducing operational costs.
- Provide Consistent Service: Our team is already familiar with the town’s standards for cleanliness, safety, and maintenance, which means they bring the same level of care to our parks as they do to the arena. We also bring in temporary seasonal staff during the summer months, with our Parks and Facilities team leading and guiding them to maintain Redwater’s standards and ensure our parks are well cared for.
- Flexible Skill Set: Our operating staff are trained to handle a variety of maintenance tasks, making them perfectly suited to care for our parks during the off-season.
What Does the Team Do During the Summer?
During the summer months, the Pembina Place staff work hard to maintain and improve our parks and green spaces. Some of their key responsibilities include:
- Mowing and Landscaping
- The team is responsible for keeping the grass trimmed and the landscapes well-maintained in all public parks, cemetery and green areas .
- Maintaining Playgrounds
- Playground equipment is regularly inspected and maintained to ensure it remains safe for children and families. One of our Parks and Facilities staff members is a certified playground inspector with the Canadian Playground Safety Institute, ensuring that inspections meet the highest standards for safety and reliability.
- Garbage and Waste Management
- They make sure garbage and recycling bins in parks are regularly emptied, keeping our public spaces clean and welcoming.
- Watering
- They ensure plants, flowers, and trees are properly watered during dry periods.
- Special Event Setups in Parks & Facilities
- When community events take place in our parks or facilities, this team helps with setup, ensuring everything is ready for residents to enjoy.
How This Seasonal Transition Benefits the Town
- Cost-Effective Staffing
- Using the same staff for both winter and summer maintenance tasks helps the town operate more efficiently by keeping employment steady year-round without needing seasonal hires.
- Year-Round Care
- The experience and attention to detail that the Pembina Place team brings to maintaining the arena in the winter carry over into their care for parks in the summer. This means that both the arena and our parks receive high-quality maintenance.
- Better Use of Equipment
- The team is trained to use various types of equipment, from ice resurfacers in the winter to lawn mowers in the summer. This multi-skilled approach allows for better use of town resources.
Conclusion: A Versatile Team Keeping Our Community in Top Shape
The seasonal shift from ice to green allows our Parks and Facilities Team to contribute year-round to the well-being of our town. Whether they’re ensuring the ice is perfect for a hockey game or mowing the lawn in our parks, this team is dedicated to keeping our community safe, clean, and enjoyable.
Have more questions or suggestions for Monday Municipality Matters? Reach out to us at redwater@redwater.ca!