Short Park in Berkeley, Missouri, has received more than $50,000 in renovation work and new facilities thanks to the SITE Improvement Association.
During the past 18 months, dozens of SITE Improvement Association members and labor union counterparts came together to donate money, time, labor and resources to improve Short Park, which had fallen into disrepair to the point where the community was deprived of a quality park for outdoor recreation and play. On June 3, SITE and the city of Berkeley held a grand reopening of the park for the community featuring entertainment, food and athletic ball giveaways.
The project was the idea of the Young Executives of SITE (Y.E.S.), a group of emerging leaders whose ages range from 21 to 40. Past-chairman of the group, Chris West, vice president of NB West Contracting, Co., said conversations between him and Missouri State Sen. Brian Williams (D-University City) led the group to the area around Berkeley.
“One day I drove by Short Park to find six to eight kids literally playing in the street, adjacent to the park,” said West. “Our group’s intention was to not only give back to the community, but to expose and inspire those young kids to pursue a career in construction. If we can give young kids a fun place to play, and show them that construction is a fun career, then we hopefully are inspiring our next generation of the workforce and construction company owners.”
SITE members excavated a parcel of the property in Berkeley and installed more than $50,000 in new playground equipment and a new picnic pavilion. New concrete sidewalks were installed, a new soccer/football goal was put in place and an existing basketball court was resurfaced and enhanced with new hoops. Private donations from St. Louis area contractors and suppliers and local labor groups Missouri/Kansas Laborers District Council, Cement Masons Local 527 and Operating Engineers Local 513 were collected in 2019 to make this project a reality.
“The Berkeley Council appreciates the time and resources in renovating Short Park,” said Babalunde Deinbo, mayor of Berkeley. “SITE Improvement Association has made the park an improved recreational asset for our residents. Thank you.”
SITE Improvement Association is a local trade association representing over 220 construction contractor owners and suppliers in the St. Louis Metro region.
