KEEBLER PARK CLEAN-UP

Keebler Park

STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH PHOTOS BY BRITTANY SMITH & COURTESY OF DADEVILL BEAUTIFICATION BOARD

The Dadeville Beautification Board is on a Dadeville. mission to revitalize the beautiful town of “We were out here about six weeks ago on the weekend Dadeville. The DBB actively works on projects with the Key Club and Beta Club picking up debris from around the city. They are always looking for the storms. Then on Monday, Jordan called and said that volunteers to help clean up, beautify and rejuvenate areas she and the crew at Hellas wanted to give back to the of the community that have been affected by weather or community by cleaning up Keebler Park,” said Mickey lack of upkeep. Forbus, president of the DBB. “It has taken about four to

This past April 22 was Earth Day. In honor of Mother six weeks to get everything organized. But yesterday and Nature, the DBB and Hellas, a Dadeville manufacturing today, they have been here graciously and have been a business, partnered to take on the revitalization of Keebler wonderful help with supplies and manpower.” Park on April 22 and 23. The park had been heavily Forbus said that there is a lot of hand labor involved damaged during recent storms and was tremendously with this project. He said that if he had to pencil in an overgrown. evaluation for the project’s cost, it would cost anywhere

“A couple of us go to Keebler Park at lunch and walk. from $10,000 to $12,000 or maybe even more for just the We’d just had some really big storms come through, and two-day project. there were branches down. So we talked and decided “That’s a realistic number,” he said. “We’ve had two days cleaning this up would worth of time donated by numerous employees of Hellas, Revitalize the Land Top Left: Members of DBB and Hellas employees gather around to get a game plan for the park clean-up; Middle: Forbus donated equipment be easy. It would just be time. It doesn’t require some amazing skill, and we can make an impact by plus tools. We’ve had mulch donated; river rock donated; machinery donated. The county has donated employees time. First Baptist Church, Kurt Pfitzner and his wife and Wayne Smith and his wife have all graciously donated food. It has been a major push and a major effort, and the for the crews to use in order just showing up and park is really looking good.” to help move debris; Top doing the work,” said A major push it most certainly has been, and both the Right: Volunteers replace Jordan Drummond, DBB and Hellas are confident that this will not be the last rotten wood from pergolas in the back of the park. HR manager at Hellas Construction in time they partner for a cleaning project. “We are far from finished,” said Forbus. “But this is a

great start, and it will certainly make maintenance of the park easier in the future.”

He said they might not be able to get two whole days out of Hellas employees again, but they hope to partner here and there for at least half-day projects.

“It has been a great place to spend two days,” Drummond said. “And the goal is to get the park in good enough shape that is it easy for someone to run along the route here. We want to make it easier to maintain. Having the machinery that Mickey donated has made the work go a lot faster. Instead of moving mulch, dirt, rocks and debris with a wheelbarrow, he donated the use of his equipment. Mickey has been dumping what is needed where it is needed. There are piles and piles of debris in the back of the park. It would have taken way longer for us to wheelbarrow those piles to the back of the park, and they are just a testament to all of the work that has been put in over the last two days.”

Drummond said the crew had a great time working on the park, and she is excited about the next park cleanup day because she believes that more people will participate.

“I’m so proud of our employees. They have come together the last two days to donate time and work together, and it was their off days. I think we’ve done a lot of work. We have also had so much fun. All of the employees that have come out have said that they had such a good time. I think the next time we do something like this, we’ll have more and more people just because they will hear about the fun that we’ve had,” Drummond said.

In addition to Hellas and DBB, Darryl Heard with the water department, came out with his crew to clean up the picnic table area. It was overgrown, and the tables were not usable because they were dirty; however, that is not the case now as Heard’s crew sprayed and cleaned the tables. Hellas and DBB members came behind them to clean out around the tables and mulch the entire area, leaving a picnic area that is clean and ready for families to enjoy.

Hellas employees and DBB members also worked to rejuvenate pergolas toward the back of the trail. They refreshed rotten wooden pieces that needed replacing and laid all new river rock in the ditches and around the walking trail.

At the end of the two-day venture, piles of debris were removed, and the park has been renewed. People can now visit Keebler Park for a stroll, a run or picnic with their family and friends.