Jim Haase volunteers for the Edwardsburg Sports Complex (ESC), which, when completed, will contain several full size athletic fields, a fitness trail, volleyball courts and more. Haase has been living full time on Eagle Lake in Edwardsburg since 2005. Prior to that he worked for General Motors in Chicago.

Q: What do you do for the ESC?

I am one of the guys that maintains the grounds and cuts the grass. We have a rotation of about four people that take care of the six and a half acres. Throughout the summer I cut the grass on average about one day a week. It takes three hours and 20 minutes. They have a big John Deere zero-turn lawnmower that covers a lot of ground, but there’s a lot of ground to cover. I was pretty lucky this year. Except for one day, I had really all good weather.

 

Q: How did you get involved with ESC?

Ed and Patty Patzer, who are the drivers behind the Edwardsburg Sports Complex, live on Eagle Lake. I got to know Patty first through the Lake Association and lake events and eventually got to know Ed. We were included on a list of invitees to come to an information session about the sports complex. They were looking for people to offer financial backing and people who would want to volunteer to take care of the grounds. This past spring is the first time I started doing it. I’m guessing I will be doing it a little more next year because they will have more grounds operational.

 

Q: Do you enjoy mowing?

I love it. It is kind of fun for me actually. I put the Bose headphones on and my iPod and away I go. I tend to do my best thinking while riding on the lawnmower.