Red Bluff >> Several employees of The Home Depot in Red Bluff got to work Saturday fixing up and adding a caboose to the train at Diamond Park on Diamond Avenue that had been missing at least a month.
The group, which was made up of employees volunteering their time through a corporate program called Team Depot, was organized by Store Manager Jennifer Guarino who contacted the city and handled the details of getting people and supplies. Assistant Manager Seth Plumb drafted the plans and rebuilt the caboose.
Guarino takes her son Tyler out to the park and he often calls it the choo choo park, she said.
“You can’t call it that without the train,” Guarino said.
After learning on June 1 that the train’s caboose was vandalized, deemed unsafe and removed to the city’s corps yard on Kimball Road, Guarino contacted the city and was put in touch with Mike Skelton, who confirmed it was in the city’s yard.
“I called the city and was told they were so backed up with projects it would be the end of the summer at least before they could get to it,” Guarino said. “I couldn’t do it without my employees. They never cease to amaze me. I’m blessed to have a company that allows me to do what I need to do to care for my community and a team that’s talented enough to do pretty much any project I’ve asked them to do.”
Most recently, the store is working with a local veterans group to build a ramp for a widow of a veteran. Volunteers are working toward a project at the PATH Sale House to repaint the upstairs and put in new flooring, Guarino said.
“The employees come do this on their day off,” Guarino said. “Team Depot allows them to do projects on a volunteer basis and the company provides an outlet to get supplies to do the projects.”
Behr paint donated 23 gallons toward the multi-day park project that began with on-site work Friday, Guarino said. Local representative Trent Kenney helped procure the paint. Employees started working on the project on July 20.
Through Saturday about 25 hours had been donated, Plumb said. Friday was spent preparing, Saturday the group made sure everything was safe and Sunday they painted the train. The group will most likely adopt the train and continue to make sure it is in good condition.
Volunteers included Guarino, Plumb, Ed Reardon, Chad Bagwell, Bryon Hankins, Seth DeRego and Jeff Raglin.
