Employees of the Drummond Company, Inc. recently participated in the third annual “Garry Neil Drummond Day of Service,” which was highlighted by a major cleanup project that will help the Jefferson County town of Brookside’s ongoing efforts to become a must-visit destination for outdoor recreation enthusiasts from Alabama and beyond.
Since the legendary chairman and CEO’s passing in 2016, the Drummond Company has held the yearly day of service event in memory of Garry Neil Drummond. This year, the company partnered with the Freshwater Land Trust (FLT) to perform a cleanup for a one-mile section of Five Mile Creek, near the Brookside Greenway and Ball Park.
This area was chosen for the project because the small, former coal-mining town of Brookside now operates a recreation area with campsites, walking trails, canoe adventures, bird watching and related activities. The town had extensive needs for cleanup work to improve the economically crucial aesthetics of Five Mile Creek, according to FLT’s stewardship director, Jeffrey Drummond (no relation).
“There were tons and tons of tires and large debris throughout Five Mile Creek – this stretch of Five Mile Creek is downstream from Birmingham and Tarrant and some of these heavily industrialized places,” he explained to Yellowhammer News.
Besides the environmental impact of the cleanup, “the biggest difference this made was that, since many of the coal mines closed in Brookside, there’s not a whole lot going on out there and the mayor [is trying to develop it into] a new recreational destination and I think a lot of folks go out there to enjoy that but people don’t enjoy that as much when there’s tires and trash everywhere,” Jeffrey said.
Hence, why the location was chosen.
“You’re not only improving water quality, but you’re also perpetuating that use for recreational purposes … to help out with the economy,” he continued.
FLT is a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of land and water in central Alabama. They often partner with companies and other community groups to enhance the impact of their important work, but the Drummond Company’s efforts really went above and beyond.
“I’ve never seen a group of people work so hard in my life,” Jeffrey added. “They pulled out 212 tires and it made a big difference. I’ve walked through that stretch since then, and it’s much more scenic – you can actually notice some of the scenic beauty that comes with it without seeing shopping carts and tires. And I know that the mayor really appreciated it, as did the community.”
Krystal Drummond, the company’s director of employee and community engagement and Dwight Hicks, the company’s director of reclamation and environmental compliance, managed the project along with FLT.
Several days prior to the cleanup, the Drummond Company’s reclamation department applied herbicide for vegetation control and leveled and cleared access points to the creek. They also gathered the necessary tools, equipment, safety supplies, boats and other items needed for the cleanup day.
Utilizing canoes and small boats, approximately 30 volunteering employees removed the massive number of tires from the section of Five Mile Creek, along with a washing machine, multiples bicycles, car parts and other large debris.
The employees collected trash and debris from the riverbanks and walking path near the creek and planted grasses and legumes along some designated areas of the creek bank. At the end of the cleanup day, all 212 retrieved tires were properly stockpiled to be picked up for recycling or disposal according to an agreement between Freshwater Land Trust and Bridgestone Tire.
Krystal Drummond, who is the granddaughter of the day of service’s namesake, outlined why the company is so firmly dedicated to being active in community-building and philanthropic endeavors.
“We coordinated the first Garry Neil Drummond Day of Service in 2016 to commemorate my grandfather’s legacy of giving back and helping others,” Drummond said in a statement. “The year of his passing, we chose to start with Glenwood, an organization that was close to his heart, and followed with a beautification project for Wenonah High School the next year.”
She continued, “We have great people at Drummond. Anywhere from 30 to 150 employees donate their Saturdays to volunteer at each of these events, and they come from all companies and divisions of Drummond in the U.S. As a confirmation of the culture he fostered within Drummond, I think my grandfather would be proud to see the generosity of our employees and their dedication to improving their community through days of service like these.”
This third successful edition of the annual day of service will have a lasting impact for the town and those who live in the area.
“We were excited to partner with Freshwater Land Trust to clean up the area, so that others can continue to enjoy the natural beauty this community has to offer. Not only were we able to provide much-needed service to the community of Brookside, we all had a lovely time doing it!” Drummond concluded.
You can check out the town of Brookside and its outdoor recreation offerings here.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
