Welding Benches Enhance Community

With downtown New Castle in high gear to become an attractive area for people to visit, there was a question on how to make it more aesthetically appealing. Community partners revamped flowerpots, streetlamps, and sidewalks – but something was missing. New Castle Career Center Welding Instructor, Steven Vitatoe, had an idea, an idea that would involve his students and give visitors downtown a place to sit and relax.

After discussing with Carrie Barrett, Executive Director, New Castle Main Street, they finalized the bench design. It would mimic the “LOVE” sculptures that live in the Arts Park and Murphy Park. This sculpture design was created by Robert Indiana, an American artist associated with the pop art movement, who was born in New Castle.

“The benches really add to the Robert Indiana Arts and Culture District,” Barrett said. “They also bring whimsy and fun downtown.”

The welding program has completed five benches so far and has no plan of stopping production. What started out as a way to beautify downtown has transformed into a fundraising craze. The first fundraiser bench went to the New Castle Miracle League, a baseball league for children and adults with different abilities.

“We made a bench for a Miracle League fundraiser,” Vitatoe explained. “It ended up auctioning for $1,500. We are definitely planning on doing more fundraising benches in the future.”

Every bench is a complete custom fabrication. The welding students perform all of the work: from programming the CNC plasma, to cutting the letters, to welding it all together. The benches are a way for students to get hands on experience and make a difference in the community.

“It’s an amazing start to finish project,” Vitatoe noted. “The students get to see every aspect of the build from raw material to finished product.”

If interested in purchasing a bench from the Welding Program, prices start at $400 and vary based on size of bench. For the Welding Program contact information, visit nccareercenter.org