Beautification and Restoration Underway at the Peteetneet

Photo by Denise Windley, paysonchronicle@gmail.com

By Denise Windley

Beautification and restoration are well underway at the Peteetneet, both on the grounds and body of the hundred-plus-year-old former schoolhouse on the hill.

A rain-drenched day could not keep a small crew of volunteers away from planting flowers on Saturday.  Maybe it was the doughnuts donated by Payson Market and Moore Donuts that drew them out on a damp day.  Perhaps it was a matter of integrity and community spirit. Whatever the case, the efforts of those who joined in the planting are appreciated by Peteetneet officials.

Ray Wilson and Janean Dean are among them.  The two oversaw the May planting, which was concentrated mainly on the grounds’ west-side and in planters, a more limited scope than in years past, due to watering restrictions and the need to conserve.

Ms. Dean has stepped into Sandra Hummer’s role as the events coordinator at the Peteetneet, after Ms. Hummer retired in recent weeks.  It is a job Dean now maintains in conjunction with similar duties for Payson City, work that has her overseeing popular city celebrations, like the Scottish Festival and Onion Days Celebration.

Mr. Wilson, who serves alongside Dee Stevenson as the Peteetneet Board’s Second Vice-President, both under President Dale Barnett and Vice-President Bill Harrison, has been overseeing the flowers and grounds for years. Despite his own efforts, he is quick to applaud those of countless fellow volunteers, who have and continue to help maintain and sustain the Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center since it was established a quarter of a century ago.

“There are hundreds of volunteers,” Mr. Wilson said. “Gordon Taylor did so much. Now Dale [Barnett] is the president, and he has done a lot.”

As the new spring blooms were planted on Saturday, signs of restoration to the building were evident in scaffolding that had been put in place for the upcoming replacement of deteriorating sandstone.

Over the years, water has seeped into the sandstone from which the building was, along with brick, constructed.  The moisture has caused the salt in the sandstone to expand and deterioration to ensue, according to Wilson.

All the deteriorated sandstone that can be removed will be replaced, while those stones that cannot be replaced will be patched in matching fashion.  A hardening sealer will be added after.

In addition to his reverence for volunteers, Mr. Wilson noted the Peteetneet Board’s appreciation for Payson City.  Namely, the City Council’s unanimous decision, Wilson said, to appropriate funding for the sandstone project, which he said has been estimated to cost around $100,000.

“We are very grateful, because it is preserving this old building,” he said.  “It was built in 1901 and it is getting there.”