News

Actions

Ronan students making progress on community arch project

Posted at 5:00 PM, May 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-24 19:00:34-04

RONAN – It won’t be ready for installation in June, but a group of energetic Ronan students are making progress on the new community archway with hopes of erecting the new version this coming fall.

A few months back we showed you how Ronan High School seniors were going to tackle replacement of the arch just off Highway 93, a landmark that has welcomed people to visit for nearly 20 years.

The logs on the old arch were deteriorating and in need of complete replacement, both for appearance and safety. The long winter was a challenge for the project, as the students had to retrieve and then work on the logs in the ice and snow.

But now, the pieces are coming together. The new metal letters were finished this week, and students finished with some of the logs which will form the base of the arch. Not only is that hard work, but the students had to fashion their own larger drawknives.

“Well, we had to get the metal brand we had to heat it with whatever those one things are,” said Ronan HS student Maxamus Morency. “And we had to bend it, the metal, to make the thing. Then we found a square piece of metal and we cut it about right. Then we welded it on the thing, and then we sharpened it up and before you knew it we had new ones.”

“This time, like when you get the big logs, it gets tougher because your hands keep getting smashed. So we just decided to make our own and once we did it worked a lot way easier,” said Ronan student Trevor Bartel.

Although the delays mean the new arch won’t be ready as originally planned in June, the team is determined to be ready for installation sometime this fall.