Around Independence Township Parks and Recreation, Mike Navarre and Eric Bryan were known as ‘The Ball Crew,? working for the past three years on maintaining 18 baseball and softball fields at six sites.
Now attending college, Navarre and Bryan received the Youth Sports Staff of the Year Award, Jan. 7, from the Michigan Recreation and Park Association.
‘It’s nice to get the award and some recognition,? said Bryan.
Their daily responsibilities included daily lining and dragging, mowing the grass, emptying garbage, and performing general maintenance.
Jeff Morris nominated Navarre and Bryan for the annual award because of their consistent attention to detail, work ethic, and enthusiasm.
‘It’s particularly important that they do all of that with accuracy, just because there are differences with each age group, so they got to pay attention and it takes a lot of precise work,? said Morris, recreation programmer.
‘They often work quite a bit, over 40 hours a week, so they go above and beyond the call of duty.?
Navarre said it’s probably the best job they’ve ever had.
‘I know we worked real hard for three summers and we got a lot of respect around here,? he said. ‘It’s a good environment to work, we’ve enjoyed every minute of it from start to finish and I hope we can keep the relationships with the people around here throughout the years to come.? Their supervisor, Larry Hess, said it was an ‘absolute pleasure? working with Navarre and Bryan.
‘Never had to worry about anything,? he said. ‘They set their own schedules, knew what to do, no complaints.?
Navarre is studying at Grand Valley State University and Bryan is at Michigan State University.