By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

As the sun rose in the sky and residents made the drive to work Monday, E. Grand Ave. was filled with volunteers eager to help their city.

Thirty-three people made the early-morning commitment at 7:30 a.m. to lay old bricks along the street.

The number of volunteers pleasantly surprised Hillsboro High School senior Caleb Potucek.

“It’s easier than expected, especially with everybody’s help,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect until I got here.”

Potucek said he was already planning to help during the week’s two other work sessions.

“Coming here and having people tell you how to lay them out made it a lot easier,” he said. “There’s not too much to think about, just putting bricks down.”

Having experts on hand made the task easier, resident Ellynne Wiebe said.

“I’m not always sure I’m choosing the right bricks, but they’ll reject them when they get to them,” she said. “Someone who knows more comes after me.”

“It’s great to come help our community and preserve some history,” she said.

Beyond the historical significance, redoing the bricks also improves the space in front of Hillsboro High School, Potucek said.

“It helps out in front of the school, and makes the road look nicer than it was before,” he said.

While the cement for the street was already set, volunteers laid bricks in sand to help the bricks settle better, city administrator Larry Paine said.

“The sand base allows us to put bricks down to match the grade,” he said. “It gives us something for water to move through when it rains, or snow melts.”

The last planned brick laying is 7 p.m. Thursday, but Paine said additional sessions will likely be needed.

More sand will be poured in at the end to pack down between bricks and fill space, Paine said.