CLEWISTON -- There was an excellent turnout at the Harlem Tree Park Bench Dedication the morning of Monday, March 15, 2021. Elected officials, local pastors, and other members of the community attended the ceremony.

“When I think about this park, I thought when I was a little girl, this Park used to house the commissary,” said LaVita Holmes, as she welcomed everyone to the dedication ceremony. “Over the years this park has evolved. It will be very interesting to see what my grandchildren and your grandchildren have to say about it.”

Community leader, Janet Taylor explained that, in order to keep things fair, the numbers of each the benches were assigned randomly by Brannan Thomas, US Sugar Community Relations Manager. Taylor went on to thank everyone, from the men in the community who continue to put in hours of labor, to the corporate sponsorship of US Sugar, and all the partners in between, for their support in the beautification of the community.

Robert Coker, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, of US Sugar, explained that a lot of planning had gone into the improvement and beautification of Clewiston, “Part of the visioning process was, let’s build this garden. Let’s do something about the bagasse that was blowing into this community, that I came out and saw, and I realized it was real.” He added, “We put 4 million dollars in that bagasse contraption over there, and I think it’s working better,” Coker said. “But we heard what the community wanted and we tried to be responsible.” (Bagasse is a fibrous material obtained as a residue from sugarcane after crushing to extract the juice.)

Coker went on, “The Harlem Civic Improvement guys and the Harlem Tenants’ Association stepped up, worked with Clewiston High School, and pulled all this together. And I’m gonna tell you something. It is absolutely one of the prettiest spots in all of Hendry County, right here.”

Taylor also introduced the Clewiston High School (CHS) Principal, Phillip Summers, and Milton Harris, the CHS carpentry instructor. Harris’ CHS carpentry students received donated lumber from US Sugar and built the benches for the park.

“It’s the students that deserve all the credit,” said Mr. Milton Harris, as the crowd applauded.

Plans to have lighting installed along the pathways, in the Tree Park are being worked on. For now, thanks to the community’s collaborative hard work, the benches are installed and ready to be enjoyed.