#All4Olean Raises $4K
#All4Olean Raises $4K
Community members rally to raise much needed funds to replace damaged Welcome signs in Olean
Left to Right: John Crawford, City of Olean; Meme Yanetsko, GOACC; and Kyle Threehouse, Intandem pose in front of the Welcome Sign at the Buffalo Road entrance.
OLEAN, NY - Last November, John Crawford of Olean created a GoFundMe page for the Welcome to Olean Signs to fundraise for the restoration of the damaged signs. “Paul Petruzzi and I spearheaded a grassroots GoFundMe effort when the Welcome to Olean signs were damaged months back and you - the community at large - came through, big time! The money that you donated will ensure that these signs get the needed repair job this spring and we will work towards making them more visible and illuminated at night,” reported Mr. Crawford, University Pittsburgh Bradford Professor and City of Olean Councilman.
Crawford presented a check for $4,085.57 (after fees) to Meme Yanetsko of the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce on behalf of our most generous community. The monies in turn were deposited into the Beautification Fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
“Just last spring, crews from Four Mile Brewing and Intandem had placed new lettering on three of the four signs,” said Yanetsko, GOACC COO. “Monies for that project came from the Beautification Fund. We were devastated with the destruction of the letters on the signs – Jarrad Childs from Four Mile Brewing was able to gather enough lettering to ‘create’ two signs. Our group will be meeting in April to go over the best way to secure lettering for vandalism and to brainstorm the two other signs.”
The sign out on Route 16 near Bradford Publishing/Olean Times Herald will need to be raised due to the brush growth along the highway. The group will also seek out locations for a new sign at the entrance to the city coming north on Route 16 in the Seneca Heights area.
Crawford added, "We will come back to the community in late April with our plans as well as costs of the additional sign creation and fixtures that will be needed – we will do another fundraising effort through CRCF seeking donations."
The signs were erected in the early 1990s as part of a collaborative effort between the Chamber, what is now InTandem, and various local civic groups. They were repainted about a decade ago, but had been allowed to deteriorate due to lack of interest. In July 2019, a push to fix up the signs began. The crews from Four Mile and Intandem had completed the one near Applebees, one out on Buffalo Road, and one out by the former tile plant. The one at OTH needed the most work and lettering hadn’t been placed yet as masonry, tree removal and other duties were needed first.
For more information on the signs, please email info@oleanny.com . If interested in donating to the signs, please visit http://bit.ly/beautification-fund-olean and please note that your donation is for the Welcome to Olean sign. Questions on the donation process, please email foundation@cattfoundation.org.
The Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, located at 301 North Union Street in downtown Olean, has been the leading business organization in the greater Olean area since 1906. Their business plan reflects activities related to lobbying local and state leaders and developing programs, to supporting workforce development, small business owners, large corporate entities, non-profit organizations, manufacturers, and area residents. For more information, please call 716-372-4433 or email member@oleanny.com.