CHELSEA, Okla. -- A large community effort went into revitalizing a pedestrian underpass that extends beneath historic U.S. Route 66 in Rogers County.
A group of concerned neighbors started a group called Project Chelsea last year to revitalize parts of the town of Chelsea and stimulate some growth.
They chose the pedestrian underpass as their first project, so they spent time and money during the past few months cleaning up the dilapidated walkway.
One wall features a mural with 13 postcards depicting local landmarks and historical information. The other wall basically serves as a giant guest book, where people can sign their names to it.
Debi Ward, the executive director for Rogers County Development, said new signatures are added every day.
"We've had out-of-state people from Tennessee and California," Ward said. "Just a couple of days ago, we had a couple of guys bicycling from Chicago to LA (along Route 66), and they were from South Korea."
Along with the hundreds of signatures, Project Chelsea members keep having to clean off and paint over inappropriate words and drawings left by vandals.
"It has not been a severe problem yet," said Project Chelsea director Dale Clark, "but we'd like to nip it in the bud, and for that reason, we're going to install cameras."
Clark said security cameras should be installed in about two weeks. In the meantime, the Chelsea Police Department said its officer will step up patrols in the area to try to stop the vandalism.
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