New pumpjack suits Town history

By Falon Fayant
There’s a new feature along 48 th Avenue to catch the eye as people drive into
Town. The red and black pumpjack was refurbished in 2022 and has replaced the
community electronic events sign. The sign has been disposed of from the Town’s
assets. According to Diane Pysmeny, General Manager of Corporate Services, “[The
sign] was 10 years old and technology moves so fast, to fix the sign was cost
prohibitive, and Council wanted to move to a new concept in the future at a
different location.” An announcement of the new concept will be forthcoming when
funding becomes available.
“We understand that [it] was a valuable sign for communications; however,
until funding is available, a replacement is not scheduled at this time,” Pysmeny
explained further.
Instead, Council decided the area would be a fitting location for the
pumpjack, and it was also more cost-effective. The sandblasting was $3,500 from
the park’s maintenance budget. The pumpjack fits in with the Town’s history as
well, with the discovery of oil in 1948. Prior to that, Redwater was a small farming
community.