Zachary High School Varsity Baseball and Football players teamed up to assist with two beautification projects in the City of Zachary on Monday, July 30.

Despite the heat, Sophomore football players lent a helping hand to paint the Zachary Depot, while juniors performed yard work at Heritage Ranch and senior players visited Angola to listen to a motivational speaker and take a tour of La. State Penitentiary.

Asst. Football Coach Chris Carrier says this is the first year the football players are being required to perform community service work, but it won't be the last. "Service work is in line with what Head Coach Neil Weiner is trying to instill in the entire team," said Carrier. "The plan is to perform community service work annually."

ZHS Baseball players are no strangers to performing service work, since this is the 6th year Head Coach Jesse Cassard has had his players give back to the community.

"I try making the players understand that community service needs to be a priority, one we should all invest in," Cassard said. "When Mayor Amrhein mentioned the opportunity, we jumped on it!"

Juniors and seniors met at the Zachary Historical District on Virginia Street to prep the site for the installation of new sidewalks, which will make the museums more accessible for the handicapped.

Chip Troth, Zachary Youth Park, supervised the boys on the project.

Jean Byers, Historical District Director, said the community service efforts will save the city about $6,500 for the painting project and $2,400 in labor on the sidewalks.

Zachary City Councilman Dan Wallis, District 4, dedicated funding from his portion of the budget to make the projects possible.

“I'm proud to use the funds for the se improvements and to ensure our children's safety during school tours and on weekends," Wallis said. "Painting the depot will also improve the overall look of our downtown historical area.”