Brian Penna completed the project Saturday, planting three trees along the side of the center that faces M-69 in Felch.

The project grew out of an idea by Eva Carlson and Pam Miller of The Archives room at the center to create some sort of outdoor display, Township Clerk Darrell Oman said. They suggested perhaps a large log to honor the township’s long ties to the timber industry that continue today, along with some flowering plants.

Oman thought a broader project was warranted, noting center beautification has been discussed for years without coming together. But they needed someone who knew what they were doing, Oman said.

So they approached Penna, who helps deliver senior meals from the kitchen at the community center. Penna worked in construction for 35 years, much of that as a superintendent for a general contractor in downstate Michigan, before retiring in March 2025 and moving to Dickinson County.

Brian Penna with one of the new signs added as part of the landscaping project he did at Felch Township Community Center. (Michelle Penna photo)

In Hardwood, he set up Penna’s Labor Solutions, with “handyman services” such as yard cleaning and camp prep. He also had a skid steer for grading and clearing.

“I just needed something to do to keep busy,” Penna said.

The flier he posted at the Felch center about his business caught Oman’s eye.

Working with Oman and the two women from the history archives, Penna sketched out the three sections. “The concept kind of came together easy,” he said.

Originally, it was going to have a piece of equipment that symbolized that industry, such as a mining cart or a potato harvester. But that seemed like it would take too much space, Penna said.

The farming section in the landscaping project at Felch Township Community Center has a custom-made sign and an antique plow donated by an area resident. (Michelle Penna photo)

Then Oman noticed metal signs in a news story on a Marquette park. It led him to Crystal Steel House in Crystal Falls.

The new metal signs at the Felch center feature a rooster on a fence with a barn in the background, a miner in a mine shaft and stacked logs.

Black rock was used throughout, representing what was mined, but Penna recommended mulch around the trees and vegetation, as the rock could overheat the plantings.

The flowers are roses, carnations and lilacs that should bloom through the summer season, he said. The trees are flowering crab apples and peach, purchased locally so they are known to be cold-tolerant, Penna said.

Authorized to spend up to $7,500, Penna said he shopped around and used a veteran’s discount — he was in the Marines — to keep costs down. He was able to do almost all of the work himself, with some help from his wife, Michelle.

“It’s good to give back to the community, to help out,” Penna said.

In the end, he thinks he’ll come in under budget.

“I was just glad that Darrell asked me, gave me the opportunity,” Penna said.

While they didn’t make the initial deadline of being done by Memorial Day, it is ready in time for the township’s annual Fourth of July parade and America’s 250th anniversary, Oman noted.

The results have already drawn compliments, with the only semi-negative comment Oman has heard that “they should have done it before now.”

With the success of the community center landscaping, the township next hopes to do some work at the cemetery, putting in new sod and benches, Oman said.

To reach Penna’s Labor Solutions, call Penna at 734-536-1960 or brianpenna906@gmail.com.

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Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85240, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com.