City of Cold Lake Receives National Public Works Week Award

Cold Lake City Hall – File Photo

The Canadian Public Works Association (CPWA) has selected Cold Lake as the winner of the CPWA 2022 Nation Public Works Week (NPWW) award. This is Cold Lake’s fourth time receiving the award, competing against other Canadian municipalities with a population under 25,000. Cold Lake received the honour in 2016, 2017 and in 2021.

On behalf of CPWA, APWA-Alberta Chapter President Mike Haanen and APWA-Alberta Chapter President-Elect Joe Guido presented Deputy Mayor Adele Richardson with the award during the November 22 City council meeting.

“This award further enforces the hard work our staff do, year in and year out.” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “We strive to enhance all areas of our city’s infrastructure to create a high standard of living for the citizens of Cold Lake. This could not be achieved without the experienced and dedicated staff in our public works department.”

Cold Lake’s Public Works department hosted several open house demonstrations throughout Public Works Week, educating the public on how various infrastructure services work and the impact they have on the lives of Cold Lake citizens on a daily basis. A food drive was also conducted, which saw 475kg of non-perishable food items collected and over $1,500 in monetary donations for the Cold Lake Food Bank.

“National Public Works Week is one of the best ways to increase the public’s awareness about the crucial role public works plays in providing services to our cities and towns,” Past President Patty Podoborozny said in a CPWA press release. “Cold Lake’s week of public works events, engaging citizens of all ages in a variety of activities, provided opportunities for the public to learn about how important public works infrastructure and services are to our community.”

Cold Lake’s Public Works Week saw the return of two other initiatives that garnered major success in the past. “Sketch a Shelter” involved submission of original artwork from local schools and scouting groups to be used to in ad space in the City’s bus shelters. These posters helped bring awareness to the public about the role of public works in their community, using the theme “Resilient and Ready.”

“Paint the Plow” also returned this year, with three City of Cold Lake snowplows receiving a special paintjob to help celebrate NPWW. Two snow plows were painted by City public works staff, while the third was painted by a local airbrush artist. The freshly painted snowplows were on display at several events throughout the week.

Earlier this fall, the City of Cold Lake was also presented 2022 NPWW Celebration Award – Urban Community at the APWA-Alberta Chapter Awards Recognition Ceremony in Red Deer on September 30. This award seeks to acknowledge and recognize municipalities from across Alberta that have made efforts to recognize Public Works Week. Using Public Works week to educate and inform constituents about the crucial role that public works plays in the quality of their community life, and to promote public works as a career choice. This is Cold Lake’s fifth time receiving the award. Competing against other Alberta municipalities, Cold Lake previously received this honour 2016, 2017, 2018 and in 2021.