Jamestown Rotary and local officials joined to cut the ribbon on the new Jamestown sign at the entrance to the city.
Jamestown Rotary Club President John Healy said the project has been 25 years in the making with discussions between the City of Jamestown and Rotary starting back then about creating a welcome sign. He said the project gained momentum when Gary Lynn of Lynn Development agreed to grant easement on property owned by Lynn Development on North Main Street for the placement of the sign.
Healy said the sign project also came at the same time as the club’s centennial anniversary, “We raised funds for the project totaling $63,000 for the fabrication, assembly, and construction of the sign. The Rotary Club donated $25,000 while the Community Foundation, Tory Irgang, Liz Jones, Gebbie Foundation, Greg Edwards, Kathy Burke, Sheldon Foundation, Linda Swanson, Peter Sullivan, Jessie Smith Darah Fund, and Allied Alarm all graciously awarded grants and donations totaling another $38,000.”
Healy said the sign design incorporated local materials, such as two 100-year old metal trusses from an old train bridge over the Chadakoin River, and the fabrication of new components by Ellison Bronze and Industrial Welding, “The stone and cap are installed below the trusses at an angle to represent the flow of the Chadakoin River or the hills of Jamestown. A matte black cabinet with bright lettering was selected so Jamestown could be prominent on the sign, the paneling above the cabinet is designated to illustrate the city skyline, and old city street bricks were used as pavers with those made in Jamestown probably 100 years ago.
Construction of the sign began in Fall 2022 and was completed in June 2023.
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