After 32 years working with City of Powell River, Brenda Powell is retiring.
Powell got her start at Powell River Recreation Complex pool in 1986 and worked with the aquatics department until 2000 when she started looking at other city opportunities. After a stint working half the year at the public works yard and the other half at the pool, a posting came up in the parks department.
It was then that Powell discovered her calling; she loved to work outside with plants. Powell said particular highlights have been landscaping the gardens around city hall and Dwight Hall, where she was given a lot of freedom to plant what she wanted to.
“I’ve had a great deal of satisfaction picking out what I feel like planting,” she said. “That was one of my favourite things.” Maintaining all the city’s gardens has been an intensive, year-round process, but all the fresh air and outdoor work has kept her fit and healthy, she added.
Looking back on her more than three decades working for the city, Powell said it has been a fulfilling career and retirement is going to be bittersweet.
“I’m really going to miss my coworkers and I’ll be keeping an eye on them,” she said.
Retirement plans include travelling and doing some light gardening of her own, however, not on the scale of her work with the city.
“You’d think I’d have lots of gardening at home,” said Powell. “I just have a few things in pots.”
