Spartan sign shows community pride at intersection

April 15, 2020 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

The Spartan sign hanging proudly at the intersection of Parker Street and Porter Road.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

EAST LONGMEADOW – If you’ve traveled through the intersection of Parker Street and Porter Road in the past few months, you may have noticed something new – a large display of community pride.

Jerry (G.A.) Hyland owns the property that an old sign pole sat on. The pole, which was a bit shabby and rusty from ware over the years, used to be host to a sign that advertised Bluebird Acres farmstand. When the farmstand closed, the sign came down, and the pole fell into disrepair.

For years Hyland wanted to refurbish the pole and hang a sign on it. However, it was always one of those projects that got pushed to the side, Hyland explained.

At the end of January, Hyland found himself with a bit of time to fix the pole, which sits right along the sidewalk at the busy intersection. Hyland explained to Reminder Publishing that he decided he wanted to use a large, white PVC drainage pipe to slide over the pole. He experienced a bit of trouble locating the pipe, as both Home Depot and Lowes didn’t carry it when he checked. After discussing his plans for the abandoned pole with Roger Chapdelaine of Chapdelaine Builders and Kitchens by Chapdelaine, Hyland went to a local drainage company that carried the pipe, at Chapdelaine’s suggestion.

After sourcing the PVC pipe, Hyland contacted another local business owner, Ken Richards, who Hyland noted specializes in signs. Hyland explained he ran into Richards at Center Square Grill in town, and asked him if he could make a Spartan sign, to pay homage to East Longmeadow’s mascot.

“[Richards] refused to give me a price and refused to make money. Another guy who has donated his time and talents,” Hyland explained.

Calder Overhead Door, LLC. assisted in the installation in late January, early February, and almost instantly Facebook forums dedicated to the town were buzzing with photos and comments of the striking Spartan sign.

Hyland noted that he doesn’t spend much time on social media, but once his daughters alerted him that there was discussion online about the sign he decided to jump in.

“A lot of people said, ‘thanks,’ and ‘those should be all over town,’” Hyland shared.

“It was really fun – it was good to see a lot of good community pride,” Hyland said of the town's response to the sign.

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