Cheniere donates picnic tables to a grateful Pleasure Island
Published 4:16 pm Thursday, August 9, 2018
By Ken Stickney
PLEASURE ISLAND — Cheniere Energy has long proven itself a good neighbor to Port Arthur and Coastal Texas: providing jobs, volunteering for clean-ups, donating to worthy causes, environmental and charitable.
On Thursday, the liquefied natural gas exporters located across Sabine Lake in Louisiana, offered another weighty contribution — two concrete picnic tables guaranteed to withstand hurricanes and flooding. Each weighs 4,000 pounds.
Port Arthur Mayor Derrick Freeman accepted the donation on the city’s behalf — Pleasure Island is part of this city — and Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branyck lauded the company for its “significant contributions” in job creation and to the operations of the Sabine-Neches Waterway.
“We are blessed and thankful for you guys,” Freeman said.
https://www.facebook.com/portarthurnews/videos/10156511349117487/
Cheniere has contributed to Pleasure Island, which is connected by bridge and Highway 82 to Louisiana, before. The company was looking for ways to help the largely unsettled, manmade island before Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey arrived almost a year ago, and post-storm clean-up work had slowed those efforts.
“They’ve proven to be a good neighbor,” said Port Arthur City Councilman Cal Jones, whose district includes Pleasure Island. He said the location of the picnic tables, not far from the bridge, is in an area used for picnics, volleyball and “family-oriented” activities.
Ronnie Moon of Nederland, who volunteers time to keep the island clean, said the tables would be part of new activities on the island to bring more people there.
“The island is a beautiful place to come and see,” he said. “It’s a scenic place for the public for fishing and crabbing in our own backyard.”
Maas Hinz, senior operations manager for Cheniere’s Sabine Pass Liquefaction Facility, made the presentation to the city and county officials.
Cindy McGee of Cheniere said the picnic tables were custom-made in Sulphur, Louisiana.
“They are something they can enjoy forever,” she said.
