Golden Triangle Polymers is making a major investment in youth baseball and softball stars via a $250,000 donation to the City of Orange.
City officials are using the funds to replace field lighting across Orange Youth Baseball and Softball (OYBS) fields.
Chad Jennings, plant manager for Golden Triangle Polymers, said youth projects are essential because they offer safe spaces for positive activities and an opportunity to learn from mentors.
“We especially love that the city chose to invest in a park project that brings families together to enjoy America’s favorite pastime,” he said.
OYBS Board President Ryan Crowell said the funding is “really going to change the way we do things,” adding the upgraded lighting is going to create “a significant cost savings for years to come” in relation to the park’s electricity expenditures.
“We’re super blessed with y’all deciding to do this,” Crowell noted. “Thank you GTP, and thank you to the City of Orange.”
The gift was made official March 11 at the sports fields, where Jennings, Crowell and Orange Mayor Larry Spears Jr. presented the ceremonial check and helped throw out the first pitch before a baseball game.
Following the presentation, Orange Public Works Director Adam Jack said the new LED lighting would generate less heat, use less power and reduce strain on the power grid during summer months.
According to city officials, the cost savings from the new lighting, combined with higher attendance at games, could generate additional revenue for amenities, such as new fencing and batting cages.
Golden Triangle Polymers Company LLC (GTP), a joint venture from Chevron Phillips and QatarEnergy, is under construction in Orange County. GTP plans to manufacture high-density polyethylene, which enables production of products like pipe for water and natural gas delivery and packaging for foods and medicine.
Spears, in his 13th year of city government, was blown away by the evening’s festivities, which included a bobblehead giveaway in his likeness.
“I’ve never had anything like that and would think, ‘who would want a bobblehead of me?’ he shared. “Then, they did this, and I said, ‘ok, go ahead.’ They said it was gone in like ten minutes. I’m honored but definitely blown away.”
Spears calls GTP’s continued investment in Orange and the surrounding region a generational blessing.
“When you bring in something like that and it is here for 80 or 90 years, that is the dad, the mother, the son, the daughter and then the grandchildren getting jobs. It changes generations. It allows you to be able to afford education,” he said.
“GTP did their part. They have exponentially blessed our community. This is just another representation of who they are and what they are all about. I know this is just the beginning, and there is so much more to come.”
