SMART Army Members From Locals 124 and 270 Restore Oklahoma Park

SMART Army members from Sheet Metal Locals 124 and 270 joined the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), Oklahoma AFL-CIO, Oklahoma State Building Trades and a crowd of more than 250 gathered at Nichols Park in Henryetta, Oklahoma, to celebrate the park’s restoration through the Union Sportsman’s Alliance’s Work Boots on the Ground (WBG) conservation program.
Prior to the dedication, volunteers completed one final project at Nichols Park, installing a new pavilion roof. The dedication event featured a family fishing day that was full of educational activities where a free lunch was served to union members and their families.
Nearly $13,000 was raised for the Nichols Park restoration project at the USA’s Oklahoma AFL-CIO Conservation Dinner held in Tulsa in October 2016. Using funds for materials and equipment, Locals 124 and 270 were part of a group effort that saw more than 1,325 work hours invested to make major improvements to the park.
Projects included replacing the pavilion roof, improved lighting, the replacement and refurbishment of park benches and picnic tables, the clearing of overgrown areas, and replacement of an unsafe fishing pier with an ADA compliant floating pier.
“What was done in a few hours by the Unions would have taken months for the city crews to complete or even begin to accomplish,” said Henryetta Mayor Jennifer Clason. “The fishing dock would have been years out, if even on the radar due to the dilapidated infrastructure our city faces.”
As a result of this project, Mayor Clason signed a proclamation declaring September 30th “Union Day” in Henryetta, Oklahoma.
“The public should know that Unions unite for common goals and advocate for workers in both the public and private sector,” concluded Mayor Clason.