MOOSE JAW — City hall plans to add a new position in the department of community services to support the management and delivery of capital projects in the parks and recreation branch.
During a recent personnel committee meeting, city council authorized the department to create a second permanent position — the capital project supervisor — with a salary of $61,750, with $12,250 to come from savings from the 2024 capital projects budget and $49,500 to come from next year’s capital budget.
The parks and recreation branch manages $3 million to $5 million in annual capital projects, with these projects primarily focused on infrastructure renewal, city hall explained in an email. These initiatives are important due to the department's aging venues, which have an average age of over 60 years.
In 2024, the department initiated more than 80 capital projects, all requiring strict adherence to the city’s procurement policies, significant administrative effort, co-ordination of work schedules around programming, and oversight of contractors, the email continued.
Many projects occur at indoor venues, meaning the department’s workload extends year-round, unaffected by weather. Projects range from mechanical and HVAC replacements, roof replacements, flooring upgrades, building renovations, ice plant and swimming pool maintenance to building demolitions, lighting upgrades, and building automation system renewals.
Furthermore, the department oversees park-related capital projects, such as pathway construction, lighting system replacements, fencing renewals, playground replacements, landscaping, and irrigation upgrades.
Currently, the department employs one permanent capital project co-ordinator and a summer student from Saskatchewan Polytechnic, who assists with administrative tasks and project planning from May to August, city hall said.
Both report to the director of community services, who is also heavily involved in capital project delivery, long-term planning, budgeting, and general oversight. Due to staffing constraints during the past five years, the director has also managed many projects directly.
To address these capacity issues, the department is adding a second year-round employee to assist with capital project delivery. This change will eliminate the summer student role in favour of the two permanent positions.
The capital project supervisor will manage the planning and delivery of the department’s annual capital projects. The person will also assist the director with long-term budgeting and planning and take on responsibilities with the city’s climate action plan.
Meanwhile, the capital project co-ordinator will continue to focus on administrative support, drafting project tenders, work agreements, and purchase orders, as well as managing documents such as invoice tracking, contractor insurance, and permitting, the email said.
The co-ordinator will also manage smaller capital projects, easing the supervisor's workload and gaining valuable experience for succession planning.
City hall noted that the anticipated benefits of this new structure include:
- Increased efficiency in project management and planning
- More resources for day-to-day operations, as other department staff assist with the delivery of projects when resources are strained
- Enhanced risk mitigation through better oversight of contractor safety plans
- Improved quality control with more frequent site visits and contractor check-ins
- Reduced staff turnover due to adequate resourcing
- Additional staff support for capital projects in the planning and development branch
- Greater assistance for the director during the annual budgeting process.
Most of the work the new capital project supervisor will do will be in the parks and recreation branch, though the person may assist with planning and development projects as needed.
City hall added that the cost for the new position will be covered by savings from this year’s capital project delivery, specifically the Kinsmen Sportsplex Arena roof renewal project while funding will be included in the 2025 community services department’s existing capital budget allocation of roughly $3 million.
