WARREN — About 10,000 vehicles drive on Mahoning Avenue NW past the National Packard Museum every day, but William Dennis Jr. was convinced of them never noticed the museum’s small sign out front as they sped past.

It took a while for Dennis, president of the museum’s board, to convince his fellow board members of a new sign’s value. It took even longer to raise the money for it. But two-and-a-half years after he first pitched the idea, the sign was one of three improvement projects the museum celebrated on Friday at a brief ceremony outside the museum.

The new video sign, installed by Mike Makes Signs of Champion for $36,175, was paid for with money from the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joseph Biden and administered locally by the city of Warren.

The museum also received $42,750 for a new asphalt shingle roof, installed by Brothers Roofing and Siding of Warren, and $8,134 for landscaping and to refurbish the pagoda on the museum grounds. The pagoda was relocated to that site in 2002 from W.D. Packard’s Riverscourt estate. That work was handled by Executive Landscaping of Vienna.

“It was a collective effort,” said Mary Ann Porinchak, executive director of the museum. “The money stayed right here in the community with businesses located here in the community. In my opinion, it was the best use of ARP funding ever.”

The sign project came first, Porinchak said, and the museum explored other funding sources before the ARP money became available.

“During that time, we started to see things coming up (with the roof),” she said. “The trim on the top blew off in one of the storms. We lost a couple shingles and there was a small leak over the store. It was put in in 1996, and I knew it wouldn’t last much longer.

“At the same time, the people who maintained the bushes retired, and we knew we had to go to landscaping that was maintenance free. People have been using the pagoda for weddings, so we wanted to increase its appeal so more people would want to go there.”

Dennis said when he talked to people, even those who lived in the city, many of them didn’t know where the museum was located. The sign not only will make it easier for locals and out-of-town visitors to find the museum, it also will allow the museum to advertise its days and hours of operation as well as current exhibitions and upcoming events. Dennis thanked Warren Councilman Andrew Herman, D-2nd Ward, who wasn’t in attendance, with helping them secure the funding for all three projects.

“We’re hoping we get a big influx of people and generate more interest,” Dennis said.

During the ceremony, Porinchak said, “This is your museum. This belongs to the community, and now that we’ve invested in its future, I can’t thank you enough for all you did to make that happen.”

Have an interesting story? Contact Andy Gray by email at agray@tribtoday.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday.