Ridge Creek Park Report: A-Team Clean-up Action...

Nearly twenty Great North West residents came out to pitch in with a little hard work and lots of fun in an effort to spruce up the Ridge Creek Park located in the Ridge Creek subdivision. Leading the effort, A-Team coordinator Mr. Mike Yager and GNWCIA Directors Guy Pucci and Richard Garcia.

Prior to the kick off of the festivities, Mr. Yager spoke with the assembled volunteers to provide a few safety tips and develop a plan of attack for the park. Thankfully, Fred Murphy and the GNW Maintenance staff had gone in on Friday to do a lot of preliminary work, and on Saturday, Fred was on-hand to help with tools and implements for the A-Team members to use. With a plan, the volunteers spread out at started tackling the dried vines that had covered the front fence. Others immediately took to the trees needing cutting and several picked up rakes and brooms and clippers to help.

I have to tell you, my wife and I didn't even realize this park was here in the GNW. The main focus seems to be one of those big jungle-gym pieces with slides and tubes like you might find at a McDonald's Play area. Director Pucci busted out a can of spray paint to spiff it up a bit. Beyond the play equipment, the park has some benches and that is about it. But it is a nice open area. I am told at one time there was a volleyball court, but it is no longer active. The cool thing is, this park is fenced. I don't know if dogs are allowed, but I could see us taking our big dog out for a game of fetch here.

More importantly, spending a few hours at the Ridge Creek Park represented the resurgence of the A-Team, a group of residents who seek to make things in the community better through volunteering. I was very pleased at the beginning when Mr. Yager spoke of the need for everyone participating to only do as much as they could or wanted to do. Nobody was to feel that if they didn't stay as long as others that they were not doing their part. I like that and I appreciate that attitude. I have heard that some people are leery of volunteering for things because they feel as though they are obligating themselves to a full time situation. I hope people can look at our experience with the A-Team during this event and get from it that maybe they can give it a try if only for an hour at a time or only once in a while. Anything is better than nothing.Around noon, Director Pucci called in for a little sustinence and before long, The House of Pizza had delivered some awesome goodness for everyone to partake in. Additionally, there were plenty of water and sodas available to keep people hydrated.

I hope this was just the first of many opportunities for us to get together with the A-Team and help out where we can and meet with friends and neighbors in the GNW. Wanna learn more? E-mail me and I'll put you in touch with Mike.