Local 104 volunteers upgrade zoo playground

Boilermakers at Local 104 (Seattle) volunteered their time at the Seattle and Portland training centers making upgrades to the playground at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. The project was completed with volunteers taking a couple hours of their evenings each night over a few months to work.

L-104 members have an ongoing interest in doing good things for their community. So, when a member, who worked as a Woodland Park Zoo fabricator, mentioned during a union meeting that he had the perfect community project for members to take on, they couldn’t resist the opportunity. Woodland Park Zoo was looking to add to its playground; but the upgrades would take one person far too long to complete, and outside contractor bids for the project were outrageous. L-104 stepped in, a small committee met with zoo management personal and all the pieces fit together for the Boilermakers to tackle the work. Portland members who worked on overhead ladder monkey bars for the playground were Yvonne Drake, Gerard Hewitt and Brain Richart. Seattle members Michal Corte, Dave Meyers, Brandon Legg, Don Potter and Brian Self rebuilt the bamboo scramble.

L-104 BM-ST Steve Behling said he’s proud of the volunteer work the local has completed for their community. “I would like to thank Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo for giving L-104 membership the opportunity to be of service to our community. We are proud to have been a part by making the upgraded bamboo scramble installation much safer for the children of Seattle, and we hope that many generations to come are able to enjoy their visit to one of the best zoos in our area.”

Local 104 makes every effort to seek projects throughout the communities in which they work. Behling said that accomplishing community work promotes unity within the membership while also promoting a positive view on unions in general.