With the unexpected snowfall in December, Lions Bay Works department was put to the test before Christmas, clearing and salting roads and generally making things safer for the citizens of the village. The weather meant long hours for these dedicated staff all the way through the holiday season, and The Watershed has heard from many villagers who want to extend their appreciation to Works employees for a job well done under very trying conditions.
Which makes it all the more difficult to report that two valued members of the Works team, Kyle McCallum and Clint Evernden, submitted their resignations January 6, 2023. Both will be moving on to take up positions in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.
Kyle McCallum came to Lions Bay Works from West Vancouver in 2017. In addition to a wide range of other skills, he is a certified operator in wastewater treatment and collections, and also in water distribution and treatment. Prior to coming to Lions Bay, he had three years of experience with West Vancouver as a sewer and water utility worker.
Clint Evernden came to Lions Bay in 2021 from his position as Foreman of Roadworks in West Vancouver, where he had worked for seventeen years. A certified heavy equipment operator, Clint also has many years of experience in water and wastewater maintenance and construction. He was a key member of the snow removal team that proved so valuable to the village over the holiday season.
The role of the Public Works Department in Lions Bay is succinctly summarized here in the 2021 Annual Report:
The Public Works Department is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the Village of Lions Bay’s assets including buildings, parks, open and public spaces, foreshore and beaches, roads, bridges, drainage, water, and sewer networks. Public Works is staffed by a complement of six full time employees and their manager. This group of well‐trained and competent employees provides a broad spectrum of services that contributes to making the Village a safe, well‐functioning, and beautiful place to live.
The village has begun the search for replacement staff to fill these Works positions; a task made more difficult by the dearth of available workers with the highly specific expertise required for staff in this municipality.
Kyle and Clint will be greatly missed. They went out of their way to help anyone who needed assistance and our Trailblazing team really appreciated all the help they gave us maintaining the Village trail system.