Baird High students transform vacant lot into community park

BAIRD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Baird community is rejoicing after a group of Baird High School students went above and beyond to make the town a little brighter.

Brooklynn Manasco, P.J. Luper, Kendell Miller and Kyera Byars are members of the Texas Midwest Community Network, which serves in developing a wide variety of community projects throughout west-central Texas. As part of a yearly project, these students elected to convert a vacant lot in the downtown Baird area into a small community park with a play area reserved for a local daycare that is located on the same block.

Student Kendell Miller commented on the state of the lot when their work began.

“It was hard work. It had been vacant for 30 years, and there were tree limbs, grass, and dirt growing out of the ground. It was a mess. It was rough,” Miller said.

The four students planned, prepared, and executed the building of this park with the help of community partners who supplied the students with both monetary and physical donations. Student Brooklyn Manasco outlined how one member of their team, P.J. Luper, worked diligently to bring the vision to life.

“He was actually more involved than probably any of us were. A lot of us were involved in a lot of extracurricular activities during the spring. He jumped in and sold snow cones throughout softball and baseball games. Every day in the summer, he was there cleaning up the lot,” Manasco shared.

The work conducted by these ambitious students did not go unnoticed by their community. Directly across the street from the park is Bolt & Barrel Hardware & Firearms, and Store Manager, Sharla Morgan, said that seeing the kids from the daycare using the park brings a smile to her face.

“It’s a good place for the daycare. The little ones there about three and four years old. It’s just so fun to watch them play,” Morgan said.

Though they have given the Baird community a new attraction and a new reason to smile, the four students say that the feeling of completing this seemingly impossible task gives them an immeasurable sense of accomplishment.

“It makes our hearts warm to know that we’re truly helping out these kids and their parents,” Byars explained.

Baird High School leadership spoke to how their students, involved with the Texas Midwest Community Network, conduct these kinds of community projects every year. Last year’s group of students provided yard signs around the community to help first responders with locations when responding to calls.