Elizabeth Township junior commissioner spearheads project for neighborhood signs

Nathan Racunas has been serving as Elizabeth Township’s first junior commissioner since the beginning of the school year, and he’s had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the board as he’s brought a youthful vision and an eagerness to better his community.

After months of pitching new ideas during workshop meetings and analyzing different issues throughout the community from a different perspective compared to the other commissioners, Racunas is prepared to put his stamp on the township by introducing 30 signs to commemorate various areas in the community.

There will be signs in Stoneybrook, Blaine Hill, Arrowhead, Smithdale, Blythedale, Industry, Buena Vista, Greenock, Mount Vernon, Boston, Little Boston, Howell Plan and Highland Meadows. U.S. Municipal has put the signs together, and they will all be installed over the next four to five weeks, according to Commissioner Chris Thoma. Racunas, who plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh in the fall to major in political science, explained that he and fellow commissioners went through 20 designs at one point and settled on a half-moon shape. He believes that the black background stands out from other signs, and he hopes that they bring some recognition to the lesser-known parts of the township.

“It feels good. I see that community members come out every day and give their input on the community, and they seem to like it, so I’m happy to give recognition to each and every one of them,” Racunas said.

Thoma has been impressed with Racunas in his efforts to not only make this project happen but also work hard to make Elizabeth Township a better place.

“It was months of work with the design process, finding the right sign company, figuring out where to place the signs and where exactly these little communities are,” Thoma said. “I’m ecstatic with the results, and working with Nathan on this was fantastic.

“It’s nice to get that younger perspective, especially from someone like him. He’s a well-balanced young man, and he’s brought other things to the table other than the signs. We were talking about different recreational projects and what a younger person would like to see.”

Racunas is a senior at Elizabeth Forward High School and has enjoyed his time as the first junior commissioner in the township. Now, he is hopeful that seniors will continue to apply for the role down the line so that they can continue projects like these. “I talked with the commissioners here and we agreed to do this internship, and hopefully once I’m done more seniors join and keep this going,” Racunas said. “We thought it would be nice to get a bit of community recognition and give each of the communities a little bit of love because they do a lot for us, so I went around and designated where the signs should go, figured out how many we need and designed it.”

For Thoma, he feels Racunas brings a fresh perspective to the board, and he has appreciated the viewpoint the junior commissioner has been able to provide.

“His big influence has always been on our workshop meetings where we’re not voting on anything but looking to get ideas and opinions, and he’s contributed all year,” Thoma said. “I hope that the next (junior commissioner) that we get does the same, because it does benefit us a lot.

“You want to be able to attract younger people, especially someone that grew up in this township and has been able to see first hand the challenges that people face. Sometimes you get caught in your ways when you get older, so it’s nice to get a fresh perspective as to what’s important because they’re the next generation.”

While signs wait to be installed and the board continues its work helping the people of Elizabeth Township, there will continue to be an emphasis on promoting the vision of the youth when it comes to development and projects throughout the area. In the case of Racunas, his sign project is one of many bright ideas he’s brought to the table.

“It feels good; I’m proud to help community members here,” Racunas said. “I would say sign up, because it’s quite an experience and it definitely helps you with your future.”

Nathan is the son of Amber and Matt Racunas.