North Avenue Underpass Gets Facelift and New Paint With Owego Volunteer Effort

 Railings surrounding the railroad bridge on North Avenue in Owego are currently being repainted by community volunteers. Owego Rotarians and other community members are providing the labor. The cost of materials is being covered by the North Avenue Gateway Project through a portion of a $50,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

 In 2003 the Village of Owego hired consultant Kaye Newbury to develop projects, manage the grant, and see it to completion. "North Avenue is critical to Owego because it is a major thoroughfare. I'm delighted to be working with Rotary and the Owego Revitalization and Betterment Corporation to bring a brighter look to North Avenue for both residents and visitors.  It would have been impossible to afford the cost of labor for scraping and painting 200 sections of railing in the North Avenue Underpass. That's why volunteer involvement is so crucial," Newbury said.

 Grant money paid for commercial cleaning of the underpass and is buying paint and supplies for the railings project. Scraping of old paint, priming, and repainting is being done primarily by Owego Rotary volunteers, led by local bookseller John Spencer. Work is done each evening from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and some Saturdays from 8:00 to 10:00 am.  Work began on August 29 and will continue through out the fall.

 The Owego Rotary club has undertaken several community service projects in honor of Rotary International's 100th anniversary celebration according to Judy Kip, current club president. "We have planted flower beds, built a kayak dock, donated bicycle racks, and (cleaned up) the riverbank to provide a better view from Draper Park," said Kip. "This bridge painting project is our most ambitious hands-on undertaking.  Community volunteers are encouraged to come out to join us in this project."

 Anyone interested in helping may contact John Spencer at 687-4094 or Judy Kip at 687-0993.