Et cetera : NCCC Team Working on the Mississippi

Rusty Graham tears shingles off the bath house roof at Grant River Recreation Center in Potosi, WI.

Forrest Maher and Willie Moore staining a shed at Blanding Landing in Hanover, IL.

By Forrest Maher and Jessica Beck

AmeriCorps NCCC team Oak 4 is working with the US Army Corps of Engineers on the Mississippi River Project for their second project. The team is helping with upkeep and restoration of the campgrounds on the Mississippi River. Up to this point, Oak 4 has worked at the Grant River Recreation Area in Potosi, Wisconsin; Blanding Landing in Hanover, Illinois; Pleasant Creek in Bellevue, Iowa; and the Thomson Causeway in Thomson, Illinois.

During the six day stay in Potosi, Wisconsin, the team completed a variety of tasks for the park. One of the biggest projects was reroofing the bath house, the ticket booth and a kiosk. Other tasks included staining the bath house and outdoor amphitheater, 16 faucets, 35 sign posts, and two kiosks. Landscaping work included chipping brush, removing stumps and mulching areas around the building.

At Blanding Landing, Oak 4 was able to complete all of the work assigned in just one day. There were 30 stumps removed. Many structures were painted and stained including 20 sign posts, 10 hydrants, six benches, one bath house, one storage shed and one outdoor amphitheater.

These are just some of the accomplishments that the team has completed. Oak 4 will spend the next five weeks continuing to work on the Thomson Causeway and eventually moving to Montpelier, Iowa.