Home » News » Business
September 03. 2012 10:41PM
Aggregate Industries pitches in with man and machine power to fix park
RAYMOND — For two days, the quarry of Aggregate Industries was shut down, allowing staff the time to give back to the community they have called home since 1988.
With equipment big and small, the volunteers helped transform Riverside Park into a welcoming respite for area residents, including the revival of memorial gardens, massive clearing of overgrown trees and brush and re-grading of the washed-out Neil Welch trail that leads to the 2-acre dog park.
Aggregate's parent company, is celebrating 100 years in business this year, and encouraged its employees to volunteer in their communities to honor the anniversary.
“It makes you very proud of what they are doing for the town and proud of the guys that work for you,” Aggregate Industries quarry supervisor Danny Ford said.
Multiple people from the Saugus, Mass., office also turned out to help.
The town also assisted with final cleanup, including the chipping of brush.
Riverside Park committee member Lisa Hutchinson is a former employee of Aggregate and works to take care of the park, so she asked Aggregate if it would be interested in lending her some physical labor, as well as excavators, Bobcats, rakes and shovels.
Crews also cleared a section of the old horseshoe pits and graded the area in preparation for a new playground.
In June, the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation provided a $5,000 grant to the Raymond Coalition for Youth to support the building of the playground Funds and the Riverside Park committee is now looking for volunteers to help them put the playground together.
The next step for the park will be drilling an artesian well to provide a water source for visitors to water the memorial gardens and their dogs, and hopefully to create community gardens in the future.
The committee is holding a music festival in the park on Sept. 22 to help raise funds for the project.
Riverside Park originated with Henry Turcotte, who donated about 16 acres of land, where he envisioned walking trails, a skating pond and other recreational activities where there was once a barren gravel pit. An additional 212 acres were purchased through conservation grant funds, and additional small parcels were donated by private residents.
Riverside Park committee member Kathy Lee said it is encouraging to have help from community businesses in revitalizing the park.
“It is uplifting to know we are not alone and the vision one person had is being carried out to benefit our community,” Lee said.
Selectman Wayne Welch came down to the park to survey the work as it neared completion last week and said he was amazed at the transformation.
“I think it's great. It's a great community project and we are lucky to have a company like Aggregate in our community. They are always doing community projects,” Welch said.
Stan Felong was out walking his dog, Frodo, at the end of last week, and said he is a regular at the park.
“It is a good place for everybody to come but there are a lot of people who don't realize what's here,” Felong said.
Hutchinson said she hopes the revitalization of the park will encourage more people to enjoy it.
“It couldn't have been done without (Aggregate), and it definitely needed to be done,” Hutchinson said.
gmacalaster@newstote.com
With equipment big and small, the volunteers helped transform Riverside Park into a welcoming respite for area residents, including the revival of memorial gardens, massive clearing of overgrown trees and brush and re-grading of the washed-out Neil Welch trail that leads to the 2-acre dog park.
Aggregate's parent company, is celebrating 100 years in business this year, and encouraged its employees to volunteer in their communities to honor the anniversary.
“It makes you very proud of what they are doing for the town and proud of the guys that work for you,” Aggregate Industries quarry supervisor Danny Ford said.
Multiple people from the Saugus, Mass., office also turned out to help.
The town also assisted with final cleanup, including the chipping of brush.
Riverside Park committee member Lisa Hutchinson is a former employee of Aggregate and works to take care of the park, so she asked Aggregate if it would be interested in lending her some physical labor, as well as excavators, Bobcats, rakes and shovels.
Crews also cleared a section of the old horseshoe pits and graded the area in preparation for a new playground.
In June, the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation provided a $5,000 grant to the Raymond Coalition for Youth to support the building of the playground Funds and the Riverside Park committee is now looking for volunteers to help them put the playground together.
The next step for the park will be drilling an artesian well to provide a water source for visitors to water the memorial gardens and their dogs, and hopefully to create community gardens in the future.
The committee is holding a music festival in the park on Sept. 22 to help raise funds for the project.
Riverside Park originated with Henry Turcotte, who donated about 16 acres of land, where he envisioned walking trails, a skating pond and other recreational activities where there was once a barren gravel pit. An additional 212 acres were purchased through conservation grant funds, and additional small parcels were donated by private residents.
Riverside Park committee member Kathy Lee said it is encouraging to have help from community businesses in revitalizing the park.
“It is uplifting to know we are not alone and the vision one person had is being carried out to benefit our community,” Lee said.
Selectman Wayne Welch came down to the park to survey the work as it neared completion last week and said he was amazed at the transformation.
“I think it's great. It's a great community project and we are lucky to have a company like Aggregate in our community. They are always doing community projects,” Welch said.
Stan Felong was out walking his dog, Frodo, at the end of last week, and said he is a regular at the park.
“It is a good place for everybody to come but there are a lot of people who don't realize what's here,” Felong said.
Hutchinson said she hopes the revitalization of the park will encourage more people to enjoy it.
“It couldn't have been done without (Aggregate), and it definitely needed to be done,” Hutchinson said.
gmacalaster@newstote.com