EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- Continuing to keep Skinner Butte Park an emerald gem in the middle of Eugene, a volunteer effort for dozens Saturday for the fifteenth year in a row.
The Eugene Rotary Club put on its annual spring clean event near Skinner Butte's summit on Saturday, April 14th, 2012.
Rotary Club members are often credited as the primary reason for Skinner Butte Park continuing to remain open to the public as it is.
A local resident, Ray Wiley helped start the project in 1997.
The City of Eugene was about to close the road up to the top of Skinner Butte due to a lack of maintenance in the park in the area of plants and infrastructure.
Wiley and a few volunteers stepped forward the first year to start cleaning up. Over the years, the event has gained support and taken on major projects at the Butte.
The group is responsible for installation of many of the benches on the Butte, also the drinking fountain near the parking lot, brick planters, patios and more. The group even raised the funds to repave the road to the top of the Butte.
It's also responsible for much of the ongoing park maintenance and landscaping.
“People really appreciate what we've done up here, there's been high school class reunions that take place, there's been weddings that take place up here since we've started work up here,” says Ray Wiley.
“It's great to think that this is going to go on,” says Wiley.
This year, the group spent Saturday pulling weeds, cutting grass, laying trail rock, re-mortaring steps and more.
The Eugene Rotary Club continues the volunteer work year round as well. Each week, volunteers travel up to the Butte to remove trash and clean up graffiti when necessary.
For more information on how to get involved in the Skinner Butte Park volunteer efforts, click the following link: http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?space=CommunityPage&cached=true&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=0&in_hi_userid=2&control=SetCommunity&CommunityID=675&PageID=1568.
