To celebrate our annual Co-op Community Day, Jay County REMC reached out to our communities for ideas on how employees could serve. We were thrilled to receive several ideas, and we narrowed our search down to the Bryant Parks Department.

Pastor Paul VanCise, current president of the Bryant Town Park board, reached out to see if we could provide some helping hands for a park the town is developing. VanCise put together a plan for the co-op, and staff spent two days in the heart of Bryant working to make the space an area for residents to spend quality time.

Many small projects were on the agenda, such as brush removal, trimming trees and readying volleyball poles for painting. We hung a volleyball net, painted the trim around the restrooms and even painted some propane tanks to give them a fresh new look. Then we had more significant projects such as painting basketball lines, installing a tetherball pole and painting a four square court.

We even had a few projects that were perfect for our set of skills. A disconnect breaker box was attached to one of the poles with rotten wood beneath it. Our linemen were able to change the mounting for this box to create a safer and more attractive setup for the community.

There is also a picnic pavilion the parks department has been working on near the park. While the department had been able to paint the structure along with the picnic tables, the park had fascia that needed to be attached. Thanks to our bucket trucks, this project was a breeze. We were able to knock this project out in half an hour and in a safer way than the park would’ve been able to on its own.

Overall, the biggest project we undertook was a brand new “gaga” pit. If you’re like our crew, you may be new to the concept of a gaga pit. This creative game is becoming a playground staple in many places. It involves a version of dodgeball played in a lower-profile enclosure. The pit is an octagon shape and comes in many different sizes, but the parks department provided us with 10-foot boards for this pit. VanCise and a few friends even tested out the pit with a game before community day was over. 

Our Co-op Community Day is an event our employees look forward to each year. We enjoyed being a part of the projects for the Bryant Parks Department and are excited for the community to use that space.

If you have a program or organization that would like to be a part of our Co-op Community Day, call Carly Nichols at 260-766-0052.