Published: May 19, 2008 05:59 pm            

Volunteers put power underground

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — This week’s rain transformed the construction site of the new Plainfield Youth Athletic Complex into a muddy mess, but the wet conditions didn’t matter to the Duke Energy workers who volunteered there on Friday.

As part of Duke Energy’s annual corporate-wide Global Service Event, about 25 local employees volunteered their time to bury an overhead power line that ran through the center of the property.

“Actually, we’ve had pretty firm ground so it hasn’t been bad,” said Tom Miller, operations supervisor for Duke Energy. “This project consisted of burying a three-phase circuit and that required trenching and boring.”

A fleet of line trucks, bulldozers, and other earth-moving equipment arrived at the site at 9 a.m. and volunteers worked throughout the day. The company has been one of the largest contributors to the project, located on the former Indiana Boys’ School property just west of downtown Plainfield. Duke Energy’s in-kind contribution of burying the power lines totaled just over $100,000.

“Several companies have contributed but obviously Duke has really offered a tremendous amount of help in the form of foundation donation and the man hours they put in,” said Plainfield Clerk-Treasurer Wes Bennett. “Their in-kind and monetary donations have totaled over $300,000.”

Duke Energy serves 69 counties in Indiana and does volunteer work in communities all over the state. Its annual Global Service Event started in 1997. Past local projects have included installing appliances at a special needs home and serving meals to the less fortunate.

“Our contribution is really to the youth of Plainfield,” said Bart Beal, business relations manager for Duke Energy. “We don’t do gratis work for government entities, but this is for the youth.”

The Plainfield Youth Athletic Complex held its groundbreaking ceremony last August and when completed, it will feature fields and seating areas for soccer, baseball, football, and cheerleading. In an attempt to alleviate traffic within the facility, there will be roughly 700 parking spaces spread out among the fields. Bennett said several local contractors put in bids last week to begin work on phase one of the project — the soccer fields. He said the soccer fields are scheduled to be completed by fall 2009.

“When it’s done, it will be a state-of-the-art facility,” Bennett said. “It will be a place that the community can be proud of, and a place where other communities bring their kids for sports.”





Kevin Leibrock writes for the Hendricks County Flyer in Avon, Ind.

        

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