Fire hydrants get refreshed paint job thanks to high school students

Caira Shilson, Ryan Cole and Aranna Rosati paint a Dalhousie St. fire hydrant. North Star High School art teacher Andrea Craig-Wammes is in the back row with Ron Fryer, with Fryer being the original artist in 1994.

A dozen fire hydrants in the downtown core of Amherstburg have been repainted and refreshed thanks to North Star High School students.

The students were out last Tuesday and Wednesday painting new designs on the hydrants along Dalhousie St., Fort Malden Dr. and Laird Ave. 

The designs all have a heritage theme to them. Students were given an idea of what to do with the hydrants, such as history that would have occurred near the site where the hydrant is located, though students were given artistic freedom to expand upon the concept.

Andrea Craig-Wammes, one of the art teachers at North Star, said the school was contacted by the tourism department about repainting the hydrants. 

“The town reached out to Mrs. (Sam) Thomas and I to see if we would be interested,” said Craig-Wammes.

A QR code will be placed on each hydrant, which if scanned by smart phone, gives a detailed look at the artwork and history that occurred in the area.

Connor Grondin, Landon Fallon and Alexis Thomas paint a hydrant in front of the Dalhousie St. entrance to Fort Malden National Historic Site.

Craig-Wammes said roughly 32 Grade 11 and Grade 12 art students from North Star High School worked on the project.

“They gave us the criteria of the history and the kids put their creative spin on it,” said Craig-Wammes.

Tourism department supervisor Sarah Van Grinsven said they are working with Payton Hall, a GIS co-ordinator with the development services department, to create the QR codes to be placed on the hydrants.

Van Grinsven said it will allow residents and visitors alike to have a self-guided virtual tour of the town.

The fire hydrants were first painted in 1994 and re-done in 2005. 

Sierra Gearing paints a Laird Ave. fire hydrant last Wednesday afternoon. More photos are on the River Town Times’ social media sites.

Ron Fryer, the original artist in 1994, was on hand last Wednesday (May 6) and said he liked the new designs that were being painted on the hydrants this time around.

“I love this,” he said. 

Fryer said he would like to see it expanded in the future and have more than 12 hydrants painted around Amherstburg. He also envisioned the project expanding into other forms.

“I see them as postcards and the money you could raise from them could go to the school or the art program,” said Fryer.

Fryer added local history is important, saying “don’t destroy history, learn from it.”

Van Grinsven added the town is aiming to have the hydrants be featured as a walking tour during the Amherstburg Art Crawl, which returns July 11-12.

Fire hydrants get refreshed paint job thanks to high school students

By Ron Giofu