Negaunee man surprises police and fire departments with gifts
NEGAUNEE — One Negaunee business owner surprised some first responders Tuesday morning with a couple of gifts for their departments. Scott “Smarty” Soeltner gifted two decorative signs this morning, one to each the Negaunee Police Department and the Negaunee Fire Department.
Smarty said he was looking for similar signs to hang up on the walls at his bar on Iron Street, Smarty’s Saloon, and decided to get the signs for each department after he found out they could be specialized with their badges, as a token of appreciation.
“I wanted to show some appreciation to these organizations because they’re kind of the unsung heroes,” Smarty said. “They’re on call 24/7, risking their lives to save ours. Their families have to worry about them coming home at night. So it was just a token of affection and show them a little love back.”
After coordinating with Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron, Smarty was able to surprise each department with the signs, something he said they really appreciated.
“Oh they loved them, yeah, they’ll have something to hang up in the fire department and police department for years to come that let’s them know the people appreciate what they do,” he said. “I’d just like to say I love this town, I love the City of Negaunee, and all the people in it. We’ve got the best DPW around, best fire department, best police department, and the best community. I’m really blessed to be apart of it.”
The signs were locally handcrafted out of wood by Pat and Rachael Siegel, with specialized engravings for each department.