ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Despite the hot weather and working from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., 10 volunteers with time and heart came together on Saturday to repair the 65 foot video tower at Robertsdale High School football practice field.

Falling into disrepair after being built 10 years ago, the tower had missing stairs, no roof, was being exposed to the elements and in need of a major face lift.

With no money available from the school to fix it, members of the RHS Bear Club decided to do it themselves and enlisted the help of Roger Booth, owner of Booth Vinyl Siding in Robertsdale.

Donating about $2,000 worth of labor and roofing materials and Ford Lumber Company of Robertsdale donating about the same dollar amount worth of lumber, the tower, used to video football practices for college recruiting purposes, now has new stairs, handrails and a tin roof with insulation to keep the heat out.

“We had a couple of our guys (John Booth, Ricky Teal, Richard Boyington, Brad Mathis) plus Billy Mosley and Mary Williams and some others out there helping with the construction, bringing us food and drinks and giving lots of moral support . We had to use a lift to build the steps because of the height but we got it done. Only took us about two days to figure out the design and then we were able to complete it,” Booth said.

In the vinyl business for 28 years, Booth was more than happy to give back to the school in this way and show his support for the football team. “I am glad we were able to help and get it repaired. Coach Phelps now will be able to climb the tower without the stairs coming apart on him.”

Grateful for the help, RHS football coach Scott Phelps said it was really going to help the program in the coming year. “Last year, we were always concerned when someone went up there because of the shape it was in but now it will be much more safe. It’s so nice to have people from the community rally around the team and help and support the school in this way.”