Former Springfield resident gives back

John Lashua, a current resident of Fort Lauderdale, comes back to Springfield, his hometown, every summer.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/former-springfield-vermont-resident-gives-back

Former Springfield Vermont Resident Gives Back Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 10/08/2013 - 3:15pm By JOEL SLUTSKY The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT - John Lashua, a current resident of Fort Lauderdale, comes back to Springfield, his hometown, every summer. As he looked around he thought, “Things did not look good in town; the hedges were overgrown, painting was needed and the town hall needed fixing.” In John’s words, “It was time to step up.” John always had the concept “Pride in Springfield” on his mind, so he decided to take action. John got Pride in Springfield tee shirts made that Springfield on the Move has offered to display to sell, so he can recover some of his costs. John went to the town manager in June saying, “Before I go back to Florida I will clean this town hall up.” The town manager replied that if John did the work, supplies would be given; John was off and running. During his time he lived in Springfield, John worked at Bryant’s, Fellows Gear Shaper and Jones & Lamson before leaving for Fort Lauderdale, joining the Fort Lauderdale Police Department for 20 years, and then retiring. John graduated from Springfield High School in 1958 and has lived in Fort Lauderdale since. He served in the United States Air Force from 1961-1965. John has a love of photography and at the age of 13 was a shooter for the Springfield Reporter. John has a long track record for enhancing Springfield’s appearance: for 20 years he has refurbished benches and tables dedicated to his father Bernie Lashua who served on the Airport Commission, an oversight board which monitors airport activities representing the town of Springfield. Among John’s many other projects are: the painting of 61 cement columns by the river, completely refurbishing the water fountain (John told me that before this effort, many people did not even know where the fountain was), cutting hedges, pressure washing benches and sidewalks by the bus stop, and repainting guard rails bordering the Market Place and Peoples’ Bank. John also painted police sign posts and refurbished a bench (that was then dedicated to Alan Pinders, “The Mayor of Downtown”), and cut shrubs and painted at the police station. John is not by any means done with his voluntary assistance to beautify Springfield. Jennifer Grant, Executive Director of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, is more than supportive of John’s work and helped publicize his efforts. Jennifer said, “John has strong ties to Springfield and, like a lot of people who grew up here, is very supportive.”