MT. VERNON —
Those who drive along Casey Avenue may notice something new at the Public Works Department building.
It’s a sign — made of obsolete street signs — that says “Mt. Vernon Public Works.” The large lettering was thought up by Dale Mick, assistant director of the Mt. Vernon Public Works Department.
Mick said as the state of Illinois is requiring that street signs be lettered in 6-inch-tall letters, rather than the current 4-inch letters, the Public Works Department had an abundance of “leftovers.”
He said the state has expanded the timeline for new signs to be installed, because many smaller communities don’t have the funds to replace all the signs in their areas.
“We have a bunch that need to be taken down,” Mick said of the older signs. “We had a wild hair that we’d make a sign for the front of the building. It’s temporary until we put some money toward a store-bought sign.”
Vickie Bird, Public Works secretary, said Mick tries to recycle anything he can find rather than throwing it away.
“That’s how this came to be,” she said. “Anything that can be re-used, he’ll do it.”
Mick said Public Works Director Matt Fauss created a design for the sign in AutoCAD, a computer-aided drafting program, and then David Gentles, a mechanic at the department, went to work on fabricating the sign.
Gentles said the sign took about a week to create, and it was erected on the building last week.
Mick said he’s heard nothing but good feedback about the sign.
“Everybody seems to like it,” he said. “We’ve had some pretty good raves about it.”
Features
Related Photos
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David Gentles, city of Mt. Vernon Public Works mechanic, crafted the building’s new sign made of obsolete street signs. Dale Mick, Public Works assistant director, had the idea to use the street signs for such a purpose. RORYE O’CONNOR/REGISTER-NEWS
New signs at Public Works Department
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