On the job - Mead Talley, maintenance worker

Mead Talley is a man of letters.

Not that he has a ton of degrees. But Talley deals with letters of the alphabet a couple times a week when he changes them on the sign at the entrance of Arena Park.

"I do that sometimes as often as two or three times a week," said Talley, who has been a maintenance worker for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department for five years.

Talley, 32, of Gipsy, Mo., said he's not afraid of heights, and the climb isn't terribly high anyway.

"I'm only a little nervous when there's ice on the ground," Talley said. "Otherwise, it's not that bad."

Talley's main job is taking care of the A.C. Brase Arena Building, where he does lawn care, works events and performs general maintenance.

It's a job he likes.

"I enjoy it," he said. "It's something different all the time. I'm not in the same monotonous routine all the time. I don't do the same thing every day."