James Scales (left), founder of the ‘Beautify Batesville’ initiative, works with a volunteer to cut and drill wood donated by Bad Boy Inc. to create food garden planters at Our Father’s Table.
Article by Emily Wang, White River Now
Every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., a group of dedicated volunteers gathers at Our Father’s Table, ready to transform their city one project at a time. This is the Beautify Batesville initiative, founded by James Scales, a local resident passionate about cleaning up and beautifying the city he calls home.
Inspired by his daughter, Scales launched Beautify Batesville with a mission to improve neglected areas around the city.
“I was born and raised here, graduated, and left for about two decades. I always had a picture of home that kept me going to make it back,” Scales said. “I’m not naïve. I know some things have to change, but it doesn’t always have to be for the worse.”
Scales presented his vision during a city council meeting last month, outlining plans to build planters, remove graffiti, and clean up uninhabited properties. He proposed that local businesses allow employees to volunteer during work hours while still receiving their usual pay. One notable supporter is Bad Boy Inc., a local industry eager to contribute.
“Bad Boy is talking to their CFO to see if they can give us 40 hours,” Scales told the council at the meeting. “They’re going to volunteer 40 hours a month, along with equipment, and that’ll allow ten employees to get off early on Tuesday and still get paid to come and work for the city for four hours, clean up, and everything.”
The initiative’s first project involves building planters at Our Father’s Table to grow food for those in need, using wood donated by Bad Boy, deemed otherwise unusable.
Additionally, the company is providing lawnmowers to maintain the Bank of America lot.
“We will then move across the bridge to attack the graffiti,” Scales said, noting Sherwin-Williams will donate paint to cover graffiti. He also shared plans to use a special anti-graffiti coating, which will allow graffiti to be pressure-washed off.
Scales emphasizes that the Beautify Batesville initiative is more than just a clean-up effort; it’s about rekindling the community spirit that once defined Batesville.
“The city used to help each other and work together, so how about let’s do that again?” he said. “It takes a village. Sometimes because it’s needed, sometimes because it’s wanted, but mostly because — why not, we are neighbors.”
Those interested in joining Beautify Batesville can meet at Our Father’s Table, 548 N. Central Ave., on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. Together, they are working to restore the city’s charm and foster a sense of community that brings neighbors together for a common cause.
The garden planters, built by Beautify Batesville volunteers, are being installed with plans to grow food for those in need. Images: Emily Wang, White River Now
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