PRINCE ALBERT — After 33 years with the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, Superintendent of Facilities Mike Hurd will be retiring.
Hurd will stay on for the next two months before retiring on Aug. 31. In a press release, the Division said Hurd’s dedication and leadership shaped their physical and operational landscape.
The division said Hurd’s career has been marked by a commitment to ensuring safe, welcoming, and innovative learning environments for students, staff and families. His expertise and passion for excellence in school infrastructure have left a lasting legacy across the division.
Hurd said he still loved the job, but it was time to retire.
"I love my work and I love the people that I work with and I've been very fortunate to have been able to work for these folks for as long as I did,” Hurd said. “I could continue to do so, it's just that I want to look at doing some other things in my life and I thought that it was as good a time as any.
“I have been thinking about it for the last few years and I just decided that I have got to decide one way or the other, which way I want to go.”
Hurd said that he could have retired seven or eight years ago, but never did.
“One day you get up and say ‘I wonder if I should think about retiring’ and then the next day you're fine. Sooner or later, it starts getting stressful, and so you just have to say, ‘I have to make up my mind one way or the other. Either I'm going to retire or I'm going to stay for another two or three years and just keep working,’” he said.
“I just decided that there's a lot of things to do. It'll be a way different than what I'm used to because so much of my life is my work, but I'll find some things to keep busy with and I'll just look for some new adventures.”
Hurd said that he came into the job 33 years ago when he was around 32 years old. Originally, he worked in facilities for SIAST, and brought that experience over when he joined the school division.
“It was just a perfect job for me to step into and to grow into and I don't I don't regret one minute of it,” he said.
“I was very fortunate to get involved in the school division when I was young,” he added. “I was able to grow as the school division grew and that was really, really nice. As we amalgamated with other divisions, I was getting more and more and more experience.”
The school division listed Hurd’s most notable accomplishments as several transformative capital projects that have redefined school and community spaces in Prince Albert.
A few of the highlights of his work included the construction of the three-phase school in Westview area, the construction of the new Vincent Massey School, a state-of-the-art learning facility for its time that reflects modern design and educational best practices, the development of the CPAC (Carlton Physical Activity Centre) at Carlton Comprehensive High School, which expanded student and community access to athletic and wellness
programming, and the renovation of the Max Clunie Field and Harry Jerome Track, a premier outdoor sports complex that stands as a hub for athletic excellence and community pride. Hurd said he had a hard time choosing what project was the highlight of his years in the job.
“It's really hard to pick one thing. I like the school project stuff. It was always nice. It was nice to build, to be involved in the building of Westview School and Vincent Massey was a beautiful school to be involved with, the addition to Carlton (CPAC),” Hurd said.
"It was nice to finish my career off was the facility at Harry Jerome Track and the Max Clunie Field that was really satisfying. Maybe that's another reason why I stayed on another year.”
Hurd said the Max Clunie and Harry Jerome Track renovation discussions began several years ago and it took time to get the idea put together between the City of Prince Albert and the division.
"When we finally decided to do it, I wanted to see it done. I wanted to stay and that was a project that I take a lot of satisfaction in because I was able to stick around and help to get that finished,” he said.
Hurd said he told Director of Education Neil Finch that he will be available to help with the transition for the new superintendent for up to a year. At the last board meeting of the school year on June 16, the board of education appointed a committee to recruit a new superintendent.
The division said that Hurd has been known not only for his technical knowledge and project management skills but also for his steady leadership and creative thinking skills. There are a few projects he couldn’t make happen. His work has consistently reflected the division’s commitment to student achievement, well-小蓝视频, and excellence.
“Mike’s impact can be seen in every facility in our school division,” Director of Education Neil Finch said in a press release.
“His dedication, professionalism, and care for our schools and community have made a difference for thousands of students and staff. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”
Hurd said he has no definitive plan for what he will do once his retirement begins officially on Sept. 1.
"And if something comes my way, then I'll have to look at it and see if I'm interested in it and if not, I'll find some smaller projects that I can get involved with and do those kinds of things. I'll always be working; I've worked my whole life. I started working when I was a kid and just kept working all the way through,” Hurd said.
Hurd said that he likes working and he likes people and doing things for people.
"I'll keep busy somehow,” he said. “The first year might be tough. They tell me that the first year of retirement is kind of difficult, but after you get through that first year, you usually can find things that you want to do.”
He said the thing he will miss most, other than the work, is the people.
"I really enjoy the work and the people, but I'm going to miss the people the most. I’m going to miss the people in my department, the people that have worked for me, the caretakers and the maintenance people. They've been great teammates and I always say we work together and they work with me, not for me.”
