P.I. plans painting project at pool Residents’ efforts to celebrate city’s spirit day

PRESQUE ISLE – Local officials are working to complete a special project in the community this weekend by hosting their annual Community Spirit Day with a new twist.

This year’s event – a joint effort between the city of Presque Isle, the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Revitalization Committee – will take place from 8 a.m. to noon today at the city’s outdoor pool on Main Street. This is the rain date for the event, which originally was scheduled to take place May 19.

Traditionally, Community Spirit Day has been a chance for local residents to pitch in and clean up the city – everything from washing windows in the downtown area to picking up litter on the roads, sidewalks and bike path. But this year, city officials wanted to do something a little bit different.

“The goal of this year’s Community Spirit Day was to actually do something that would leave behind a symbol of the spirit of the people in the community, rather than just doing a cleanup day,” Jennifer Trombley, Community Spirit Day committee member, said Friday. “The ultimate goal is to have it build each year to the point where we could build a playground or a structure. The plan is to keep it growing a little bit at a time.”

This year, city officials and residents will work together to complete a painting project at the outdoor pool. That includes the doors and trim on the outdoor pool building, the floors inside, and the wall at the deep end of the pool. They also will paint a swing set nearby and the building that houses pool chemicals.

Trombley said about 25 people have signed up for the project and more are welcome as it is a community event. She said that if more people attend, they may have a crew to paint benches at Riverside Park. Organizers suggest volunteers wear work clothes for the event and bring paintbrushes and gloves if they have them.

Trombley added that if people want to volunteer time on other community service projects during the day, it also would be appreciated.

When the work is done, city officials will host a free barbecue for the volunteers to thank them for their help. Trombley said they had enough food for about 50 people.

“It’s a good opportunity,” Trombley said of the event. “It’s only four hours to come out and be a part of your community. … This is a chance to help do something.”