Students at Montessori Borealis Public School and Juneau Community Charter School recently got the chance to get up close and personal with one of CBJ Streets & Fleet Maintenance’s graders—otherwise known as Sir Plowsalot. Sir Plowsalot is one of several CBJ winter maintenance vehicles that recently received names of their own courtesy of JSD students.
In May 2023, CBJ partnered with classes at Montessori Borealis and JCCS to name seven winter maintenance vehicles, including plow trucks, brine trucks, and graders. Students in kindergarten through middle school held class contests to pick the final names, with Streets operators visiting classrooms to explain how the equipment works and what they do to keep Juneau’s streets clear.
“We’ve gotten a great response from people in the community who’ve seen the new names on the equipment,” said Streets & Fleet Maintenance Superintendent Scott Gray. “It’s a lot of fun to work with the kids and a good way to help them understand what goes on behind the scenes where they live.”
The winning names were:
Graders
Sir Plowsalot (Grades K-1, Montessori Borealis)
Golden Goat (Grades 2-3, Montessori Borealis)
Plowy McPlowplow (Middle school, Juneau Community Charter School)
Plow trucks
Thunder (Grades K-1, JCCS)
Sam (Grades 4-5, JCCS)
Big Bob (Grades 4-5, Montessori Borealis)
Brine truck
Ice Bite (Grades 2-3, JCCS)
The freshly christened vehicles have seen plenty of action this winter, with a record 76.8 inches of snow in January alone keeping crews busy around the clock.
Streets & Fleet plans to partner with students to name another two graders later this year.
For more information about winter street maintenance in Juneau, visit CBJ’s Winter Maintenance Information webpage.