Navy Seabees Take Over the Town (Safety Town, That Is)

A crew of Navy Seabees descended on Saturday, and left the place looking a lot better than when they arrived.

They raised the water tower to make it more realistic, replaced the police station and built a brand new clock tower out of bricks, in addition to making general repairs.

"We're combining training with community service," said EO1 (SCW/PJ) Aaron Burnham, one of the nine Naval Reservists from Navy Operational Support Center Akron.

The men have all done active duty in Afghanistan, said Marianna Hansen, whose husband was among the workers Saturday.

Hansen, who helps Officer Don Poney run the city's DARE program, suggested members of her husband's reserve unit spend their monthly training day fixing up Safety Town.

"We told them we needed things done here, and here they are," Poney said.

He said local organizations and businesses contributed the materials used in the fix-ups.

The Seabees are the construction unit of the Navy.