As the recipient of Exmark’s annual Big Rock Project grant, Exmark has donated $25,000 to the City of Wilber, Neb. The application was submitted by the Wilber Pathways to Progress Committee, and the funds will be used to continue beautification and renovation of the Wilber Reservoir.

According to Exmark Senior Financial Planner, Patty Kaufman, the company plans to send a group of employees to Wilber to help complete the renovations as well.

“It’s essential that we involve our employees, so there’s some sense of ownership there,” Kaufman said. “Beautification of landscapes is obviously at the core of our mission and vision for Exmark and The Toro Company.”

The City of Wilber and the Wilber Pathways to Progress Committee have designed a landscape plan to improve the 20 acre lake area. The goal of the project is to promote healthy lifestyles, safety and wellness of the community by providing pathways that connect neighborhoods to local schools and parks. Phase one of the project is complete, which included sediment removal, dam expansion, addition of a handicap fishing pier, as well as new sidewalks, parking lots and shelters.

The funds from Exmark will fund the second phase of the renovation, which includes the addition of a lake fountain and colored LED lighting, as well as new park benches, a main message board, and construction of a sidewalk pathway and landing area to a walking bridge. The grant will also pay for aggregate white rock to finish the project.

Exmark’s Big Rock project was founded in 2007 to preserve and beautify outdoor landscapes in need of additional resources. Since inception, the project has contributed financially and with volunteer labor to complete 14 projects within a 30-mile radius of the company’s headquarters in Beatrice, Nebraska.