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QuickTake:
City employees demonstrated how they use equipment and invited students to participate in a public works-themed carnival — to both educate and to inspire future public works professionals.
A group of third graders watched as a teddy bear rose in the air in a bucket truck used for tree trimming outside Springfield City Hall on Thursday, May 21.
“Teddy, come back!” they shouted.
The students were participating in an interactive public works carnival and equipment rodeo intended to “show kids what it takes to operate a city and hopefully inspire the next engineer or maintenance technician or planner,” said Mike McGillivray, communications coordinator for development and public works at the city of Springfield.
About 550 students from 10 Springfield public schools participated in the annual event, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday during National Public Works Week.
“It just opens their eyes to all kinds of jobs that they never thought about,” said Kelley Gayle, a third grade teacher at Riverbend Elementary School. “Jobs that could be good for them in the future, and just interesting things to notice around their city, the way things are taken care of.”
Public works employees demonstrated the precision of an excavator that’s used to clean drainage ditches by picking up a ball and dropping it in a bucket. They also showed students a remote control robotic camera used to inspect wastewater pipes and a miniature street sweeper that cleans multiuse paths.
Sanipac employees brought a waste-hauling truck and, after teaching students about items that can be recycled, invited them in a race to sort waste. Springfield Utility Board showcased a crane truck used to lift equipment in and out of the ground.
Inside City Hall were 10 stations with public works-themed activities, where employees shared information on a topic, such as building safety, storm drains or traffic infrastructure, before inviting students to play a game.
One stop had students toss cornbags into a giant traffic light, while another had them carry a surveying rod through an obstacle course. At one table, students learned about healthy waterways by identifying aquatic bugs that employees had gathered from Jasper Slough and the Mill Race.
For 9-year-old Barrett Bair, his favorite part was a miniature model of Springfield with working traffic lights, built by public works employee Troy Olsen.
“That was really cool,” the Riverbend student said.
