Rose Johnson
September 16, 2010
Peggy Bellot
September 18, 2010
Members of the Terrebonne Parish community worked with KaBOOM!, a non-profit California-based organization, and built a playground from scratch Friday in six hours.
Pallets of concrete needed to be mixed and applied, 140 cubic yards of mulch had to be shoveled and spread and picnic tables and playground equipment had to be pieced together. That doesn’t even take into account the hop-scotch, four square game board and other artwork that had to be painted onto nearby concrete.
It took approximately 145 volunteers to get the job done in the humid Houma heat at the Downtown Marina, but the atmosphere remained jovial throughout the process.
“We started later in the day, which means you are in the middle of the heat and it didn’t stop anyone,” KaBOOM! Project Manager Ariel Fortune said. “Spirits remained high, and people were having fun.
“We had 145 people and it felt like we had 300. They worked as hard as they possibly could and it was a beautiful day.”
KaBOOM! has constructed nearly 2,000 playgrounds across the country. They award grants to communities and rely on volunteers to assist them in accomplishing the goal of a one-day build.
Jay Luke led the carpentry work, building picnic tables and benches, and YMCA CEO Angi Falgout, who brought a KaBOOM! playground to her organization three years ago, stood atop a pile of mulch for the bulk of the six-hour construction process.
“For our playground build, I knew the mulch was the roughest part and you can only lead by example, so if I’m up there doing it, other people will do it,” Falgout said. “I’m little. If they see me doing it, they’ll do it.”
Anne Picou, manager of the Main Street division of the Terrebonne Parish Planning and Zoning Department, applied for a KaBOOM! grant in July and received word in early August that Terrebonne Parish would be the recipient.
“It’s very humbling to work with a bunch of people that you don’t know, but you all come together as a team,” Picou said. “At the end of the day, it’s for these kids and it’s a great experience.”
Chrissy Wright, who lives across the street from the Downtown Marina, brought her 1-year-old nephew to the build and said she was excited about the prospect of him having a place to play.
Vandals, who spray paint on the bridge and have stolen signs, often abuse the area at night. Wright said she hopes the rumored security cameras will be installed to rid the area of the criminals.
Starbucks sponsored the build, but other organizations in Terrebonne Parish contributed. The YMCA provided shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Department sent trusties and Best Buy and Terrebonne General Medical Center employees also worked on the build.
The project lasted six hours for many of the volunteers, but Fortune, Picou, Falgout and others worked on the event for two months. After nearly 2,000 builds, construction day still hasn’t changed much, but the behind-the-scenes planning has become more streamlined and efficient, said Ryan Morra of KaBOOM!
Terry Gregoire kept the atmosphere festive with an endless stream of loud music and Tommy Guarisco grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for the volunteers.
Parish President Michel Claudet was in attendance and said the new playground adds another positive aspect to their community.
“It’s an additional quality of life feature in Terrebonne Parish,” he said. “We need as many as we can get because we want to make sure our citizens enjoy living in Terrebonne Parish with all the attributes it has.”
Danyel VanMatre (left) and Wayne Smith apply concrete to the base of a jungle gym in the new playground. “We had 145 [volunteers] and it felt like we hade 300,” said Ariel Fortune, project manager for KaBOOM! ERIC BESSON
