Industry to pay for Surfside Beach Playground

New equipment for Surfside Jetty Park will be made wholly from recycled plastics….

ANGLETON — Fifteen Brazoria County petrochemical companies have partnered to bring a new playground to a county park made from recycled plastics.

The representatives from the Brazoria County Petrochemical Council assembled Tuesday morning before commissioners’ court to announce the $210,000 donation. The money will allow the county to replace the playground at Surfside Beach Jetty Park, which had to be removed because it became a hazard after long-term exposure to the elements.

Representatives of the Brazoria County Petrochemical Council and Brazosport County Parks Department pose with county commissioners Tuesday after announcing the BCPC would donate $210,000 to provide a playground made of recycled plastics for Surfside Jetty Park.

“Anytime you look at investing dollars into something like that, you’re talking about some serious dollars. So we were prepared to go back to the drawing board,” Brazoria County Parks Director Bryan Frazier said. “What could we put out that would last a little longer?” The petrochemical council reached out about that time suggesting a partnership and asking what potential projects the parks department would have in mind. Installing playground equipment made from recycled plastics jumped to the top of the list.

“It gives the interpretive message of what we are all about anyway, which is, ‘Don’t throw your plastic bottles on the ground,’” Frazier said. “Do something positive with them; recycle them. And they answered the call.”

Contributors to the council’s donation include MEGlobal Americas, Dow Chemical, BASF, Freeport LNG, Shintech, K-Bin, Shin-Etsu, Olin Corp., Port Freeport, DSM, Vopak Industrial Infrastructure Americas Freeport, Ineos, Phillips 66, Chevron Phillips Chemical and LyondellBasell.

It likely will be about six months after the new equipment is ordered before the playground is open, Frazier said. The department hopes to place the order as soon as possible, and it will take several months to arrive, he said.

The $210,000 donation should cover most if not all of the cost of the equipment and installation, Frazier said.

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Career Signing Day Wins Major Award for Helping Students Find Careers in Industry

Career Signing Day Wins Major Award for Helping Students Find Careers in Industry

BCPC Signing Day Committee Accepts Award at CURT Conference

Greg Sizemore, Executive Vice President at CURT; Jim Ellis, President at CURT; and BCPC Career Signing Day Committee Members: Jessie Jennings, Executive Director at Brazosport ISD Education Foundation; Spencer Cole, Sr. Talent Acquisition Advisor at BASF, Wendy Irwin, Community Relations Liaison at Chevron Phillips Chemical; and Aaron Ennis, Brazosport ISD Resource Development Coordinator

The Brazoria County Petrochemical Council (BCPC) Career Signing Day was awarded the Workforce Development Award by the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), an international recognition for extraordinary, exemplary, and innovative training and education programs that encourages individuals to pursue a career in the construction industry and/or enhance individuals construction skills. Additionally, BCPC Career Signing Day won the top award of $5,000 jointly sponsored by CURT, the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER), and Ironworker Management Progressive Actions Cooperative Trust (IMPACT).

Created four years ago, the BCPC Career Signing Day has “signed” over 80 high school students into craft careers. Modeled after athletic signing days, Career Signing Day is an occasion for graduating high school seniors to be placed in full-time roles for work and on-the-job training. It connects the career and technology curriculum at local high schools to life-sustaining careers in the industry.

“This award is a reflection of everyone’s hard work and dedication to growing our future workforce,” said Aaron Ennis, Chair of the BCPC Workforce Development Committee and Brazosport ISD Resource Development Coordinator. “None of this would be possible without the collaboration of the people at owner companies, construction companies, school districts, and community colleges.”

CURT is an association of leading corporations in the United States and Canada dedicated to promoting

cost-effective construction methods. CURT members recognize that training, education, and recruitment are essential to excellence in construction project delivery. As a result, CURT founded the Workforce Development Awards to recognize companies and organizations for extraordinary, exemplary, and innovative recruitment, training, and education programs, encouraging people to pursue construction careers.

The BCPC Career Signing Day application will be open for high school seniors in January 2023 and closes on March 3. Interviews will be on April 5 with May 1 being the 5th annual BCPC Career Signing Day.