PACTC students restore historic City Park sign

An historic sign welcoming visitors to Perryville's City Park recently had a facelift, thanks to students at Perryville Area Career and Technology Center.

The 1950s-era sign was recently dedicated at the park entrance on State Street at its intersection with Robb Street. For the last 60 years, the green and white sign was located along Highway 61 near East Ste. Maries St.

"This sign was our main city park sign until a marquee was added when the Perry Park Center was built," said Jared Tanz, director of Perryville Parks and Recreation. "The exact year when the sign was erected is uncertain but the style and design lead us to think it was constructed in the early 1950s. Our beautful park has seen many changes throughout the years and this original park sign showed the years of wear. It was removed when we added the new digital sign along Highway 61, but we knew that we wanted to preserve it as part of our history."

City Administrator Brent Buerck contacted Steve King, director of Perryville Area Career and Technology Center at Perry County School District 32 to ask if students could assist in refurbishing the sign. Instructors Jason Buchheit of auto collision repair, Bill Johns of welding and Bill Ernst of graphic design were on board.

"The auto collision class sprung into action," Buerck said. "The auto collision class removed the sign last school year and began by taking the sign apart and stripping off several layers of paint. Next, they began work to repair the green metal stand, which was damaged. The welding class removed and replaced the damaged portion, and auto collision then painted and reassembled the sign."

Eric Buchheit, a student in Ernst's graphic design class then took a photo of the lettered portion of the sign and recreated the shape and the original lettering with PhotoShop. He then cut the letters from vinyl and applied to the freshly-painted white sign.

Tanz highlighted several students who played a key role in the restoration including Buchheit, and Jacob Orman, Kyle Allen, Tylor Kelley, Dusty Cook, Rodger Grubbs of auto collision repair class, and Chris Zahner of the welding class.

"After being re-installed by our Parks Maintenance Crew, the new and improved 'Welcome to Perryville City Park' sign is refurbished back to its beauty and historic relevance," Tanz said.

The city invited the instructors and students to unveil the sign on May 8, and they were joined by other city officials and community members. Buerck told the students that he drove by the sign every day growing up in Perryville. "I'm an alumnus of the Career Center myself, having completed the health occupations program," Buerck said. "I had planned to have a career in physical therapy - but then I saw all the math and science I'd need to learn and chose a different career path," he added to the students' delight. "To have students from my alma mater repair, recreate and restore this sign makes me very proud. You should be proud of yourselves today, too."

Mayor Debbie Gahan said that she's always impressed with the school's willingness to lend a hand with community projects. "You have partnered with us on several projects, and they've all turned out beautifully," she told the students. "The work you did on the DARE barbecue grill and the improvements you made to the digital sign along Highway 51 were incredible contributions to the community, as is this beautifully restored sign. I hope that you're aware of the importance of the work you do, and of the instruction and guidance provided by your teachers. You make Perryville better through your efforts."