June 2006 ISSUE
The Bench, the Forums, the Tours
BY BRAD HOWE, P.ENG.
Chair, Central Alberta Branch
 |
BENCH VIEW |
The Central Alberta Branch has been busy with its usual complement of events, such as hosting a Professional Development Day, facilitating high school science and math teaching awards, making in-school technical presentations, and organizing tours of local businesses of technical interest.
Monthly Lunchtime Forums, organized by Peter Stevens, P.Eng., continue to succeed. The last forum before summer break was held before you received this PEGG, on June 6, and it was about Alberta’s environmental and emergency response capacity. Peter will then step down as organizer of the Lunchtime Forums, and Andrew Poole, P.Eng., will be Peter’s successor to carry on this valuable activity.
New to the branch this year was the First Annual Central Alberta Branch APEGGA Science Olympics, held on March 4 at West Park Middle School. Lessons were learned on improvements to be made for next year, but overall it was a well-received event.
Bench Marks Centennial
 |
CENTRAL ALBERTA BRANCH 2006-2007 EXECUTIVE |
The Central Alberta Branch’s highlight project of the past year was the donation of a bench to the City of Red Deer as part of Alberta’s 2005 Centennial. The unveiling was in September 2005, the culmination of two years of branch effort.
We hired local artists Brian McArthur and Dawn Detarando through their company, Voyager Art & Tile. Voyager did a masterful job in taking our rough ideas and focusing them into a theme. The result is a truly artistic and monumental piece.
The steel-framed bench is built of ceramic bricks, individually carved and glazed to represent a cross-section of Central Alberta’s landforms and geology. The top of the bench features a mosaic of colourful glass tiles to illustrate feats of engineering in Central Alberta, such as the petrochemical sites east of Red Deer and the Dickson Dam.
The bench will be a featured landmark on Red Deer’s revitalized Alexander Way, a pedestrian-friendly corridor in the heart of Red Deer’s downtown. It provides a legacy to the community, depicting the contributions of engineering and geosciences during the past century.
Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling lauded the leadership demonstrated by APEGGA for the Alexander Way project. He noted the recent passing of two giants of public discourse in Canada — Jane Jacobs, the author of Death and Life of Great American Cities, and the economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who touted the concept of public wealth — and how their ideals are represented by the bench.
Mr. Flewwelling spoke of government being close to the people and the importance of strong ethics in all professions.
At the branch annual general meeting in February, the mayor spoke of seeing a little girl sweep snow from the bench so her mother could see the beautiful colours of the mosaic.
Engineering and fabrication services to produce the bench were provided by Stantec Consulting Ltd., UMA, AECOM, Collicutt Energy Services and Carmacks Enterprises Ltd.
A plaque will be mounted near the bench with the following inscription, written by American poet Vachel Lindsay:
A city is not builded in a day.
And they must do their work, and come and go
While countless generations pass away.
Tours Planned
Although no special projects like the Centennial Legacy Project are currently
in the works, the Central Alberta Branch still has lots on the go. Coming up
are tours of the Border Paving asphalt plant on June 15 and Noise Solutions in
Delburne, date to be announced. Also, we’ll be witnessing the construction
of a straw bale house in the fall.
And we will host an executive and volunteer appreciation barbecue at the end of August. Watch for details in upcoming e-PEGGs and Branch Bulletins.