TERRE HAUTE —
Duke Energy employees Wednesday not only brought their electrical expertise to the Terre Haute Action Track, but also made new flower boxes and picnic tables for the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds.
The 35 employees were participating in Duke Energy’s “Global Service Event,” a series of springtime volunteer projects to help nonprofit organizations such as the fair.
“We pick one project in a community and take an army of our employees there. This is our third year at the … fairgrounds,” said Rick Burger, Duke Energy Indiana’s west area district manager.
The company also has worked at fairgrounds in Vermillion and Clay counties and will do so again this year, Burger added. “Those will be different employees,” he said.
“We chose the fairgrounds [in Vigo County] because we continue to see the need. There is 100,000 people who come to this fair each year, so it is a community place,” Burger said. “This is sweat-equity work and a way to help the community.”
Among the jobs Duke employees performed:
• Changing and repairing lights around the fairground’s Action Track using a cherry picker.
• Repairing cross arms on the track’s infield lights.
• Changing light bulbs in the race pits.
• Unhooking and removing high sets of lights on the straightaway.
• Building two new wood flower boxes and four new wood picnic tables.
• Trimming trees
• Painting a handicap ramp and railings on bleachers
• Repainting black-and-white checkers under the grandstand and intersection of Grand Stand Drive and Checkered Flag Lane.
• Repainting bottom half of poles down main drive
• Rehanging plastic strips on two overhead doors in the Exhibit Hall
• Replacing a door in ticket office
• Changing light bulbs by the horse arena and ticket office
• Pulling down insulation in the 4-H arena.
Jennifer Cook, president of the Vigo County Fair Association, said the work from Duke Energy “is huge. So many people, … understand that the fairgrounds is privately owned. We don’t get federal funding or state or county funding. We have to meet our operating expenses, and this is a big parcel of ground with a lot of buildings. So, we rely heavily on volunteers to help us out.
“I don’t know how I could put a dollar figure on Duke Energy’s work,” Cook said. “We have four people on our staff to take care of this. Duke Energy can come out en masse with equipment and manpower and the ability to get to lights on the track. This benefits the whole community.
“We are so excited that Action Track is back and functioning this year,” Cook said. The track lights “will all be readjusted and stabilized. We don’t have the equipment nor the knowledge and expertise to do that.”
“It is just unbelievable what they can do in a day,” Cook continued. “I don’t think our staff could get this work done in a month because of the events we have, and we don’t have the equipment they do.”
Major events the fairgrounds will host this year include seven races at the Action Track from April to October, the county fair on July 8-14 and a diesel truck event in August.
Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
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26 years of experience: Duke Energy Line Specialist Michael Vicars works on a street light at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds on Wednesday as part of the company's Global Service Event.
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This for T.H.A.T.: Bob Cook of Duke Energy adds a coat of silver paint to the bleachers at the Terre Haute Action Track on Wednesday at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds during the company's Global Service Event.
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The power of paint: Craig Rolley (right) paints a ramp with his fellow Duke Energy engineering department members Wednesday at the grandstand of the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds.
Discussion
Duke volunteers charge up spring fix-up of Wabash Valley Fairgrounds
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