POWELL RIVER, B.C. – One of Powell River’s longest serving employees is stepping away from the job after 32 years of service.
Brenda Powell started work with the aquatics department, before transitioning into the city’s parks department.
Powell began her career in 1986, at the rec complex pool. She worked in the aquatics sector until 2000, before looking for other opportunities.
According to the city, Powell was able to work in the public works yard for half the year. She continued to work for six months of the year in public works, and six months at the pool until 2004.
She then took a temporary posting in the parks department, which evolved into a full-time slot in 2005.
“I kind of wish I’d done it years and years ago, but all my ducks weren’t in a row,” she said, speaking of the transition to parks, in a city-issued release.
Powell said her favourite aspect of the parks department was “making things grow.”
“I enjoy when we get to choose flowers for the pots and different landscapes,” she said.
“I’ve had a great deal of satisfaction picking out what I feel like planting. I was pretty much given carte blanche for my choices. That was one of my favourite things.”
Powell noted that she’s been able to work alongside fantastic people.
“It’s always fun and everybody likes to see the final result when they are all working together on a project,” she said.
“I’m really going to miss the crew. We work really well together.”
She said one of her biggest supporters and mentors was former Parks Supervisor, Paul Nassichuk, who recently passed away.
“Paul urged me to get training,” she said.
“It was at Paul’s urging that (I) went for my red seal in landscape horticulture. He didn’t want me to retire without it.”
Powell said that it’s been an extremely fulfilling career, and her retirement will be bittersweet.
“I’m really going to miss my coworkers and I’ll be keeping my eye on them,” she said.
She said she is hoping to do some landscaping work on her own yard, and do some travelling.
“I’m not slowing down,” she said.
“I’ve got a list a mile long of people who have said if I’m looking for work they have all kinds of weeds in their gardens. I could quite easily go around and do that. I might just help people out with work in their yards.”
