Horseheads man makes a difference one hydrant at a time

• Reeve Ammerman of Horseheads tired of looking at a weather-worn fire hydrant across from his home.
• He asked officials for permission to repaint the hydrant on Kinley Place.
• Ammerman has since repainted 105 of the village's 320 hydrants. Officials gave him a map and supplies.
• Ammerman plans to repaint all 320 hydrants, although he isn't certain how long it will take him.

HORSEHEADS – When 85-year-old Reeve Ammerman tired of looking at a rundown fire hydrant across the street from his Kinley Place home in Horseheads, he decided to do something about it.

"I went to the village garage and told them what I wanted to do," said Ammerman, whose initial plan was to repaint the hydrant across from his home. "They thought it was a great idea and handed me two buckets of fire-hydrant red paint."

Officials told him many of the hydrants hadn't been repainted in more than 30 years, Ammerman said.

That was in July 2013. Ammerman has since repainted 105 of the village's hydrants and plans to paint all 320 of them. Village officials gave him a map to find them — and Ammerman keeps records of the hydrants he revamps.

"It's been fun," he said.

With supplies in the back of his Dodge pickup, Ammerman sets out with a village map to find a hydrant in need of painting. He spends hours scraping, removing brine and prepping the hydrants.

Ammerman paints the silver cap first. "That paint is quite apt to run," he said. "I do that first."

Although he doesn't do it for the accolades, Ammerman received the Horseheads Kiwanis Good Guy award for his work with the hydrants. He also received recognition and two replica hydrants from officials at Kennedy Valve in Elmira for his work.

Ammerman, who will celebrate his 86th birthday on Nov. 11, has a long history of restoring and revamping worn down objects.

He retired from Suburban Propane in 1984 after a 32-year career and went into the furniture upholstery business with his wife, Yvonne.

"My wife was an interior decorator and a stay-at-home mother," Ammerman said. "The two of us made good money decorating and reupholstering furniture."

The couple will celebrate their 63rd anniversary in December. They have six children, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

When Ammerman notices something in need of repair or a little TLC, he doesn't complain; he simply fixes it, with permission from the rightful owner.

He recently trimmed overgrown branches at a local cemetery. "It looks so much better," Ammerman said.

It's his way of making a difference in his community.

Make A Difference Day

Saturday is Make A Difference Day. Around the country and in the region, neighbors will be helping neighbors. If you are taking part in a volunteer event this weekend, please be sure to send a photo to sgnews@gannett.com and Tweet your photos and experiences using the hashtag #MDDay.