Volunteers spend day repairing, beautifying Blandford

Westfield Home Depot volunteers sweep sand into the paving bricks with Blandford volunteer Jackie Coury, at right.

Reminder Publishing submitted photo

BLANDFORD — On Sept. 28, 11 volunteers from Home Depot stores in Westfield, Chicopee and Wilbraham came together with 38 volunteers from town for an all-day Blandford Community Day work event in the center of town.

“It was an incredible day — a lot accomplished and a good time was had by all,” said Blandford volunteer Mary Kronholm.

Resident George Reichert led the charge for the project, with a goal of restoring and painting the outside of the Blandford Post Office, which also serves as a Fire Department training center, and restoring and updating the plantings at the Bicentennial Park.

Reichert said the project succeeded through the support of many residents and the sponsorship of the Home Depot Foundation, Whip City Fiber, Hull Forest Products and the Blandford Country Store, which all together donated $7,000 for the project.

“Food was donated, financial contributions were given and supplies were provided along with the hard work of many,” he said, estimating that the volunteer hours put in equaled another $7,400.

Reichert especially thanked Kate Salvon, assistant manager at the Westfield Home Depot, for her help in the sponsorship, and Colton J. Kennemur, Westfield Home Depot manager, for leading the volunteers on the day of the event.

The preparation work, including replacement of door frames and damaged siding of the building, along with the power washing of the brick in Bicentennial Park, took place the week before the community volunteer day.

By the end of the day on Sept. 28, volunteers had completed 85% of the work, Reichert said. In the Bicentennial Park, that work included weeding flower beds, planting 20 white and 10 red azaleas and over 250 tulip bulbs and 270 daffodil bulbs. Two bales of peat moss and 175 bags of mulch were applied, and polymeric sand was brushed into the cracks between the power-washed bricks to secure them.

The Post Office and Fire Department Training Center building had its steel railings sanded and covered in rust-proof primer, and the flagpole was sanded and primed. Door frames and bare wood were primed, and 80% of the outside of the building received one or more coats of paint. New lights were also installed outside the Post Office entrance.

Reichert said remaining tasks include painting the wood trim around the doors and windows of the building; applying two coats of rust-proof white paint to the flagpole and raising it into position; and applying one coat of rust-proof black paint onto the railings.

Also still needed are new light fixtures to be installed at the entrance to the Fire Department Training Center, the windows in the building cleaned inside and out, and new protective film applied to the inside of the Post Office windows; and a watering schedule established and implemented for the new plantings in Bicentennial Park.

Volunteers who are willing to help complete the Blandford Community Day project may call George Reichert at 413-848-2074 and leave their name and phone number.