Lowe’s ‘heroes’ help restore historic Tift Park gazebo

ALBANY — Utilizing donated funds from the Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse “Heroes Project,” a few hometown hero volunteers are giving the historic gazebo in north Albany’s Tift Park an extreme makeover.

Responding to a call from Steve Brimberry on behalf of the Friends of Tift Park after the group kicked off its successful Tift Park Community Market on Saturdays in the park, Lowe’s donated materials that will be used to restore the gazebo to its former grandeur.

Neighborhood volunteers and Lowe’s employees who worked on the project on their days off had completed a large portion of the construction work on the gazebo by Thursday afternoon.

“Lowe’s has the national Heroes Project to reach out to the community and to give back,” Albany Assistant Store Manager Steve Woods said. “We wouldn’t exist without our patrons, and we try to stay actively involved in the communities where our stores are located.

“Steve Brimberry contacted our store manager, Phillip Blocker, and Phillip felt that the gazebo restoration project fit right in with the Heroes Project. All of the materials for the project have been donated by Lowe’s, and the labor is all voluntary.”

Thursday morning, Albany Lowe’s millwork department specialist Jimmy Deen and appliance department specialist Rick Theidel joined Woods and other community volunteers at the gazebo to install lattice and replace worn facing on the structure. The group plans to pressure wash the gazebo deck and roll on a layer of deck restore later in the day.

“All of us who are volunteering our time want to help improve our community,” Deen said.

Woods said the plan is to give the structure an “old, antebellum look.”

“I’ve been in this community 50 years and Jimmy’s been here at least a hundred,” Woods joked. “We want to see some of the things that are a part of our community’s history restored.

“We appreciate all of our associates and all of the community volunteers who have donated their time, and we want to give a special thanks to Pearly’s and Local Jerry’s for bringing us lunch.”

Other volunteers plan to paint the gazebo next week.