Stained-glass artist and Drexel community member Dan Hoyle’s art project named ‘A Community of Hands’ honors Drexel workers, past to present, that shaped the town.
New lights line the downtown park in Drexel, thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Burke County.
MADISON LIPE / THE PAPER
Stained-glass artist and Drexel community member Dan Hoyle’s art project named ‘A Community of Hands’ honors Drexel workers, past to present, that shaped the town.
Grow With Drexel has taken steps to enhance the downtown area, from the Hometown Hero banners to plans for a new Drexel Museum. The group’s latest projects aim to make the area safer and more welcoming.
Thirteen new light posts now brighten the downtown park, strengthening safety and enhancing the ambiance around the entrances and along the sidewalks. The Community Foundation of Burke County awarded a grant of more than $5,100 to support safety and security. The solar-powered lights automatically turn on at dusk, lighting up the park.
The project was also a strong collaboration with the town’s public works employees, Mike Chandler and Brian Baird from Grow With Drexel said. Staff dug the holes and poured the concrete for the lights, and then Chandler and Baird installed the posts and lights. All of the lights were placed over the course of three weeks.
The group is also looking forward to the installation of other projects that will help spruce up the downtown area. Drexel community member Dan Hoyle, who is also a member of Grow With Drexel, has been working on a stained glass project called “A Community of Hands,” which honors important figures and their work within the community.
Hoyle’s project is a partnership with Grow With Drexel, which is helping take donations for displays and installation for the project. The Burke River Trail Association is also a partner in the project, providing funding for signage that will provide information about the image in each panel of stained glass.
Phyllis Garrison of Grow With Drexel said that these projects are all efforts to revitalize the town to make it more appealing and draw people in.
Madison Lipe is the municipal reporter for The Paper. She can be reached at 828-445-8595 or madison@thepaper.media.
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