Project Heavy Duty successfully hits the restart button - Peace River North

Started in 2002 as a joint venture between School District 60 and local industry companies, for over 20 years Project Heavy Duty has offered opportunities for school district students to experience the skills and mindset of a real worksite.

With Richard Koop and Richard Sewell as the initial school district contacts, and Donnie Goodbun as the industry liaison these individuals created a program where local companies donate the majority of the materials from the heavy equipment, to the office building, to the fuel that runs the machines. Professional operators teach and supervise the students operating multiple types of equipment from bulldozers, excavators, graders, packers, and rock trucks. This takes place on a real jobsite with an end goal of clearing land and moving dirt for a future construction project.

The Covid pandemic interrupted 2 years of this annual event, hence the “restart” in this year’s title for its 19 event. Working to get the project back and up and running to its former standard, Jeff Mayer (SD 60) and Tyrell Goodbun (industry liaison) coordinated this year’s event. They connected with the always supportive community from former donors and new ones to make this program a reality.

This year, 16 students (7 females and 9 males) from all over School District 60 were working at one of two sites for a week. The main site was at the new Parkwood Southland development by Ma Murray school. Students were taught machinery skills by stripping and moving topsoil, then digging and moving clay to set a site for future development. The second site was clearing trees on a private property where students learned how to operate a faller buncher, skidder, and wood processor. At Parkwood Southland, lead operator and Site Supervisor Tyrell Goodbun, worked in close conjunction with Parkwood Southland project manager, Brandi Conway, to ensure that students were focused on overall project goals. Of course, with just a week to work, and learning continuously, Project Heavy Duty only completes a small piece of the Parkwood Southland project, but the experience the students gain is invaluable.

School District 60 would like to thank all its sponsors for making this event happen for almost two decades. Fort St John and its business really are a community that supports its students in the building of our future. Stay tuned for the upcoming Project Heavy Duty 20th Event next year. You will want to be a part of this!