Volunteer efforts make big impact at Ber Juan Park

Thanks to the hard work and efforts of more than 45 volunteers consisting of  Sigma Phi Epsilon students at Missouri S&T, the staff at Mark Twain National Forest, members of the Master Gardeners, and First United Methodist Church in Rolla, significant landscaping and maintenance projects were completed during a highly productive and successful volunteer work day on Sept. 11 at Ber Juan Park in Rolla.

“The staff at The Centre and Parks and Recreation Department would like to express our appreciation and gratitude for all the dedicated volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to weed flower beds, trim bushes, remove dead vegetation, and help beautify many areas of Ber Juan Park during the volunteer clean up day,” said Scott Caron, the City of Rolla’s Recreation Director.

“If you consider the dollar value of what this group of volunteers contributed to The Centre and the Parks and Recreation Department, it would be in the hundreds,” said Caron. “We certainly welcome those contributions and the savings it meant to our departments at the City of Rolla.”

The volunteer clean-up was organized and coordinated in part by Kristy Rich, Parks Specialist; Stan Busch, Parks Superintendent; Dave Johnson, Park Foreman and Ron Daniels, Ballfield Specialist.

The flower beds, landscaping and walk way that is part of a nature area that was created by the Master Gardeners in Ber Juan Park was where the bulk of the volunteer work was completed. But the expansive sidewalks and landscaped areas in front of The Centre were attended to as well. In addition, members of First United Methodist Church displayed their volunteer talents as they gave a fresh coat of paint to the concession stand building located in the Ber Juan Sportsplex located on 18^th Street.

Considered one of the jewels of Rolla, Ber Juan Park is a Mecca for recreational and health enthusiasts. In addition to The Centre, Rolla’s 63,000-square-foot health and recreation complex, it includes SplashZone, Rolla’s outdoor water park, the Ber Juan Tennis Complex, Ber Juan Sportsplex, Skate Park, a walking/biking trail, a 9-hole disc golf course, Ber Juan Lake, playground area, a pavilion, picnic tables, and huge open meadows and grass areas which make the perfect place for a picnic, a stroll, or nature walk.

 (Pictured above: Several members of the Janke family were among the hard working volunteers from First United Methodist Church who gave a fresh coat of paint to the concession stand building located in the Ber Juan Sportsplex. Other members of the church provided assistance at several other projects in Rolla and Phelps County throughout the volunteer work day as well). (Scott Grahl/City of Rolla photo)

Scott Caron, the City’s Recreation Director, (left), provides bottle water to the hard working volunteers from Sigma Phi Epsilon at Missouri S&T who did a great job weeding and removing dead vegetation from the flower beds along the nature walk in Ber Juan Park.