Davenport, IA /July 25, 2011 - Living Lands and Waters (LL&W) is in the process of building a new floating classroom and they need some help to finish their work on this project in time for the upcoming school year. So, on Wednesday, August 3rd they'll be shipping out of Alton, IL in order to get to the Quad Cities in time for the upcoming Annual Barge Party on Thursday, August 11th. During this voyage, they'd like to bring any skilled carpenters, plumbers, HVAC, electricians to help with the final pieces of this build out. Volunteers on this trip will be provided with lodging, food and transportation and the chance to experience the Mississippi from a truly unique vantage point. "We really appreciate all the help we've gotten to this point and felt we could give our volunteers a unique and fun experience by joining our crew for a week on our trip north," said LL&W founder Chad Pregracke.
Several area union carpenters and skilled tradesmen are currently volunteering their time around the clock to get this classroom barge to the point where it is now. There's just a tremendous amount of work to make this dream a reality. The 150-foot long barge will feature a handicapped-accessible classroom, which can host up to 60 students at a time, as well as sleeping quarters for an 8 person Living Lands and Waters crew. Carpenters District Council of St. Louis and Local Electric Union 57, Local Union 4 Quad City area carpenters have already donated well over $100,000 in lab or to this project." "It's a good project. It's a unique project with a lot of educational potential that will hopefully live on forever. It's great that they're using so many recycled materials where ever possible. The handrails are skeletal plates from John Deere, reused barge joints have been reconfigured for this project and the pine ceiling is from reclaimed wood that otherwise would have been destroyed", says Roger Mouser, project manager and part of the Carpenter's Union out of St. Louis.
If you're interested in volunteering for this project, please contact Ashley at our office at (309) 496-9848 or email her at Ashley@livinglandsandwaters.
Teachers interested in exploring a workshop for their students should contact Tammy Becker at LL&W: tammy@livinglandsandwaters.com or 309-496-9848. "We have had over 1,600 teachers in our Educational Workshops dating back to 2003. This will create an opportunity for thousands of students to experience the river first hand" said LL&W founder Chad Pregracke. The floating classroom was made possible by the generous support of five of LL&W's long-term partners: Cargill, ADM, Caterpillar, AEP River Operations and Ingram Barge Company.
Chad Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification and restoration of America's major rivers and to the education of people about environmental issues. From his single boat beginning, LL&W has grown to an internationally known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats. LL&W engages thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, the Great Mississippi River Cleanup, Adopt-a- River-Mile programs and the Million Trees Project.
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