All info provided from press release
TUPELO, Miss. – Toyota Mississippi is investing five years and $250,000 in a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and Tombigbee State Park.
As a result of the Tombigbee State Park being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the company said careful planning has gone into maintaining the integrity of the original structures.
According to Toyota, this attention to detail adds time and additional cost to the project as native materials and a high degree of craftsmanship are incorporated.
“Tombigbee State Park opened in 1935 and through years of use and declining funding, our facilities were showing wear,” said Jennifer Head, parks director for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
“Not only has Toyota contributed money, the Toyota Team has contributed sweat equity on projects such as reroofing and a facelift to the lodge, complete renovation of a cabin, landscaping, painting, upgrades to the playground, installing a regulation size T-ball field and building a bridge that reopened parts of Tree Trunk Trail that had been closed for nearly a decade,” She added. “These upgrades impact park visitors of all ages, and people are taking advantage of these changes. Tombigbee State Park’s revenue has increased by 30 percent since Toyota began work here in 2015.”
According to Toyota, several businesses have already accepted the challenge, with American Furniture Manufacturing and Hunter Douglas pledging their support.
“American Furniture Manufacturing feels it is important to give back to the communities where our employees live and work each day,” says Ruff Thomas, American Furniture Manufacturing key account sales manager. “Tombigbee State Park is a great opportunity for us to help revitalize a long-standing component of North Mississippi that fosters family involvement and outdoor activities.”
A commitment by Hunter Douglas employee volunteers to clear trails and remove and rebuild bridges in the park and is only said to be part of Hunter Douglas’s commitment to Tombigbee State Park. The company also agreed to provide $13,000 in Celebrity Series metal blinds.
“Hunter Douglas has been involved with programs and activities to protect and restore our natural resources for many years,” said Mike Robinson, Hunter Douglas general manager. “As a worldwide company, we take seriously the impact our operations and employees have on our environment and those living in our communities. We are proud to join Toyota in their efforts to restore the Tombigbee State Park to allow future visitors an opportunity to enjoy its scenic beauty.”
