Muskegon, Mich.—Employees from Pressures & Pipes have donated their time to two community volunteer projects this spring: Johnny O. Harris Memorial Park and the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper. Both Muskegon-area projects rely on volunteers for maintenance and operations, along with community fundraising efforts.
Johnny O. Harris Memorial Park
Larry Fife has been organizing the rejuvenation of this Muskegon Heights community park. Dedicated to Officer Johnny O. Harris, who died in the line of duty in 1975, the 10.5-acre park hosted more than 100 volunteers for an Earth Day clean up. Leading up to the event, Larry recognized a logistical challenge: the park’s restrooms had been out of operation for at least six years. To accommodate this event, along with the park’s long-term improvement plans, volunteers from Pressures & Pipes repaired the public restrooms, upgrading the plumbing and fixing holes in the bathroom walls. With functioning restrooms in place, an army of volunteers cleared litter from the park and Little Black Creek; planted flowers and grass seed; potted plants near the shelter; erected a Little Free Library; and installed new park signage.
S.S. Milwaukee Clipper
On May 20, volunteers from Pressures & Pipes and UA Local 174 Plumbers and Pipefitters installed plumbing fixtures and running water lines on the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, the oldest remaining passenger ship on the Great Lakes. Dating back to 1904, the ship is a National Historic Landmark and is docked in Muskegon, its home port from 1941 to 1970. Today, the Clipper is maintained by a Preservation Association working to restore the vessel so that it can open to the public for events. The volunteers’ recent work is the second phase of a project completed in the fall, when they installed a new water main to service the original gang bathrooms with the help of Local 174’s apprentice class. In June, the group will return to complete the final step of installing faucets. Local businesses also provided in-kind donations to assist with the restoration, including fixtures and materials from Etna Supply and dumpster services from Kuerth’s Disposal. The Clipper is now on track to open for the 2023 summer season with plumbing in operation.
Visit Presssures & Pipes Facebook page for additional photos from these events.
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Pressures & Pipes, Inc. is a sister company to Andy J. Egan Co., Inc. and is located in Muskegon, Mich. Founded in 1919, mechanical contractor and fabricator Andy J. Egan Co. (www.andyegan.com) offers engineering, fabrication, mechanical insulation, controls and 24/7 service for commercial, industrial and institutional applications.