A drone view of the two baseball fields the community identified as a great opportunity to invest in and support.
When we announced Zwolle, Louisiana, and the northwest Louisiana region as our first THRIVE community two years ago, we promised to listen to the people who live and work there to ensure our $1 million investment supports the projects that matter most to them.
Initial conversations with the community quickly identified two main priorities: upgrading the town’s water system and improving the local ball fields.
Our THRIVE team, led by Nancy Thompson, senior director of advocacy and philanthropy, and Katie Hooker, corporate giving manager, began working immediately with local elected officials and community leaders to plan an approach to both projects. In late fall, the first tangible results appeared when workers began upgrading two ball fields at the Zwolle fairgrounds that historically have been unplayable for days after heavy rain.
Renovations underway on the larger field.
FEWER RAINOUTS, MORE ‘PLAY BALL’
“When we first sat down to talk to community members, everyone pointed to the ball fields,” Katie says. “People kept saying if you’re going to invest anywhere in the community — beyond the water system — that’s where you should start. So we did.”
The Zwolle ball fields are adjacent to each other near the east boundary of the fairgrounds, about a mile from our veneer plant. The small field to the north accommodates younger baseball and softball players up to about age 10, while the big field is the only community field in Zwolle that can handle older age groups. The much-loved and heavily used fields are home to the Zwolle Diamond Youth programs and host games at least four nights a week from March to early June — which just so happens to be when it rains the most in Zwolle.
Last year, because of poor drainage, 42 percent of scheduled games were postponed or canceled.
“There have been times where we’ve gone a solid week without being able to play a game,” says Kenny Remedies, a maintenance planner at our Zwolle mill, who grew up playing on the ball fields and has coached on them for more than a decade. “Most times, whenever it rains, you’re looking at a minimum of two to three days before you can play.”
This past fall, workers began digging up both fields to install nylon turf around home plate and the pitcher’s mound and replace areas around the bases with a custom blend of infield dirt. Plans for the big field included a top dressing to level the outfield and new sod on the infield; on the small field, workers planned to replace all sod between the fence lines. Sprinkler systems also were planned for both fields. The improvements are expected to greatly reduce the number of rainouts, allow more games and tournaments to be played in Zwolle and save volunteers countless hours of work preparing and maintaining the fields.
“I’m ecstatic,” Kenny says. “This has been a long time coming. It’s so well-deserved for the people who volunteer to take care of the fields, for the town and for all the kids. The kids need every opportunity they can get.”
New nylon turf installed around home plate and the pitcher's mound on the smaller field may be the most visible change to the fields, which are also getting new dirt, sod and sprinkler systems.
SUPPORTING WATER SYSTEM UPGRADES
With the ball fields nearly finished, our THRIVE team continues to support the community’s ongoing effort to upgrade its water system, a project of much greater size and complexity. Zwolle’s municipal water supply is fed by a series of wells, and over the years some of them have fallen into disrepair or stopped working altogether. Upgrading the system with a larger, more modern well would create a more reliable and consistent water supply for the entire community.
Zwolle elected officials recently secured about $750,000 from the state and continue to work with the Louisiana Department of Health Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, Weyerhaeuser and other partners to pursue additional funding for the project, which is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million.
“The water system is a big need for our community right now and one of the main focus areas for the city,” says Marvin Frazier, mayor of Zwolle. “Weyerhaeuser has been a great partner through this process, and we appreciate the guidance, advocacy and support they’re providing through the THRIVE program.”
In addition to the water system and the ball fields, Weyerhaeuser has supported other community improvements in Zwolle and the northwest Louisiana region over the past two years.
- Last year, we donated more than $56,000 to the United Way of Northwest Louisiana, helping renew its main literacy program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, for about 1,300 children across Sabine Parish.
- Sponsored three educators from Ebarb High School in Noble, Louisiana, to attend Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning, a national teaching conference, last February in New Orleans.
- Partnered with the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) to provide research and insights for a five-year, technology-based economic development strategy for nearby Natchitoches, Louisiana, home to one of our engineered wood products plants.
- Partnered with the Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce and the Northwestern State University Foundation to help fund the development of a Sabine Parish master plan for growing Zwolle and the nearby community of Many, as well as others in the area.
- Established two scholarships for students from Zwolle High School to attend Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT). One student is already enrolled.
Together, these activities and improvements, including some significant financial support for the new water system, will likely account for our full THRIVE investment in Zwolle and the northwest Louisiana region. But with two other THRIVE communities in Raymond, Washington, and Buckhannon, West Virginia — and two others still to be named in the years ahead — the program is just getting started.
“We’re just happy that Weyerhaeuser chose this area,” Kenny says of the new ball fields. “I’m excited to see the finished product come together. I cannot wait to start playing on them. It’s going to be awesome.”
