Water feature promotes teamwork at Pleasant Valley

April 12, 2024

The population created a pond at Pleasant Valley. The project involved staff, donated materials, and family donations.

What started as a joke between a few incarcerated residents on Pleasant Valley State Prison’s Facility B, turned into a water feature beautification project.

While brainstorming a way to beautify the yard, someone jokingly suggested digging a pond. The idea stuck and turned into a months-long project bringing together various members of the general population yard, family donors, and staff.

The small pond with a stacked rock waterfall was constructed by the team of residents from recycled and donated materials. Calls to family members secured promised donations of needed items. Meanwhile, ingenuity with recycled stones and concrete provided the other materials. After consulting with correctional staff, the landscaping plan evolved weekly and sometimes daily. Finally, the novice landscapers and staff settled on a final design.

“We had to work together to put it together,” said Michael Mau, facility resident. “We learned about building the pond at the same time we learned to be a team. It was really therapeutic working on the project.”

The landscape team included Richard Lebya, Michael Velasquez, David Ramos, Michael Mau, Jose Lopez, Victor Cervantes, and Nehemiaz Cleveland. They used simple tools to create the pond and waterfall, and rock ledges to provide shade for the donated goldfish and turtles.

Appropriately, the four turtles in the pond are named after the famous pizza-eating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle superheroes: Rafael, Michelangelo, DaVinci, and Donatello.

The men agreed the feature provides a much needed tranquil and peaceful place on the yard. Future projects are already being discussed.

Submitted by Lt. Jason Martin