Category Archives: Volunteer Work

To Top It Off

After approximately 65 years of continued service, the equipment shed roof was starting to show its age.  The shed was also being pushed forward by a growing redwood tree, which was probably a cheerful neighbor in its youth. The City of Berkeley maintenance department helped us by grinding off the sapling mound that was growing against the shed, relieving the pressure on the back wall of the shed. 

The roof covering was leaking and causing structural damage to the roof, causing it to partially collapse.  To restore the roof and extend the shed’s service life, we chose to reframe the roof with larger rafters and install a membrane roof with a 40-year service life.  Hopefully, this improvement will let the next generation of bowlers enjoy the shed without maintenance worries.

The mat shed is split into two parts. On the left hand side is an area for our Greenskeepers to keep specialized equipment for maintenance of the green. The right hand side is accessible by club members and houses the accoutrements required to set up the green for play. Here you can find the mats, jacks, green sheets, rink markers,, scoreboards, rakes, and more required for our games. It also provides storage for the tools used by our Thursday gardening group.

And finally, here’s a big shout out to Judy Hillyer who stepped up to complete a very tidy paint job for the new roof. Judy has been a great asset to the club, quietly taking on a series of painting jobs and carrying them out with care and precision. Yet another reason we’re fortunate to have her among us.

Greens Maintenance Workday

Ethan Bortman, Greens Committee Chairman, to BLBC Members on 3/29/2024:

Hi All – Yesterday’s drill and fill workday on the green was a huge success.  The turnout of 18 volunteers was especially impressive, given such short notice, and greatly appreciated.  It was hard work but the weather cooperated, the refreshments and lunch were yummy, and all the volunteers seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the heavy lifting.  

Here’s the proof.  Check out these photos from the Benton video team … Cris with the aerial shots and Claudia from the ground:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBjdeU

The Greens Committee gives a hearty shout out to the volunteers:

Phil Watson, Phil Grattan, Cindy Moss, Glenn Nunez, Steve Harris, Tom Birt, Donna Otten, Cris and Claudia Benton, Sal Garcia-Lemus, Ashok Verma, Susan Jamart, Cathy Dinnean, Leslie Engler and an extra special hooray to the Greenskeepers…Janie Hillyer, Judy Hillyer, and Patricia Erwin…who organized and managed the effort.  (Apologies if we omitted or mispelled any names.)  Many thanks also to members who volunteered for the originally-scheduled Workday on Saturday but couldn’t make it for the reschedule!

If and when it ever stops raining, there is a bit more work to be done so stay tuned for further volunteering opportunities.

Cheers

Green Closed for Maintenance. See you Feb. 14!

A note from our Greens-keeper: The BLBC greens are closed for maintenance. As the picture shows, when we mean maintenance, we mean it! We expect the work to be completed by February 14. Thanks to our Greens-keeper and the volunteer labor of our members, we will have the green in good shape for bowling when the weather turns nicer. See you then!