by Kristina Gabalski
The distinctive mural billboard which welcomes all to the Village of Brockport is now looking as good as new. A cooperative effort has resulted in the restoration of the billboard which sits just south of the railroad overpass on Main Street.
The Village and the Walk! Bike! Brockport! action group worked together to complete the work.
Village Trustee Bill Andrews says painting was completed by Brian Read of Bergen (Paramount Painters). Lettering was done by Don Riling. Repair of the structure was completed on a volunteer basis by George Dahl and Art Appleby, and Chris Stocks of Edge Color Graphics in Rochester replaced the mural.
The cost of the work was also split between the village, which paid for lettering on its half of the billboard; Trustee Andrews covered the cost of the painting (from his trustee salary) and the Walk! Bike! Brockport! action group, which covered lettering on its half and materials used for repairs, preparation of the surface for the mural, and the mural.
“It’s completely revamped – all the work is done,” Trustee Andrews reported at the November 13 regular meeting of the Brockport Village Board. “We would like to have the lighting restored, to have it visible at night.”
The village turned off electric to light the sign, Andrews said, but now, “We only need to turn the switch.”
Trustees decided to hold off on lighting until it can be determined how much the electricity will cost.
“We pulled a lot of things together to get this job done,” Andrews tells the Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald. “It got done and it looks great.”
Village resident Pam Ketchum will install landscaping around the billboard next spring, Andrews says.
Ketchum says it is a harsh spot for plantings so she plans to use colorful and long-blooming perennials that can flourish under the conditions, such as Knockout roses, low ornamental grasses and sedum.
