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It has only been there for seven years, but the sign welcoming people to Greater Vernon at the south entrance on Highway 97 is being replaced and moved.
City council agreed Monday to fork over $55,000 to have new welcome signs built at all three entrances to the city and plans to move the southern sign closer to the city centre.
However, replacing the old signs after less than a decade is raising a few eyebrows.
Mayor Akbal Mund said there are three welcome signs for Vernon – the one at the south entrance, another at the north entrance, near Swan Lake on Highway 97, and one on Highway 6, coming in from Lumby.
Only the southern sign is being moved.
Mund, who is serving his first term as mayor, said before he was elected, members of the regional district decided they didn't want to pay for maintaining the signs, even though they all initially chipped in to install them.
“The bases on them are all destroyed. Everyone decided they did not want to do the maintenance on them,” said Mund. “They are in bad shape.”
Because regional district members opted out of caring for the deteriorating signs, Mund said Vernon stepped up and said it would foot the bill for new ones.
“Sometimes, you look at what the right thing to do is. The right thing to do is keep the signs,” he said.
But, there will be a few changes. Instead of Welcome to Greater Vernon, the signs will welcome people to the City of Vernon.
They will also mimic the city's way-finding signs, and while the final design is not yet complete, they will likely incorporate the city logo and colours.
And because the signs are being paid for by Vernon and represent Vernon, it was decided to move the southern welcome sign within city limits. Mund said the exact location is not yet known.
Mund will also be asking Coldstream and the two electoral areas to help pay for the demolition of the existing signs, seeing as they all paid to have them installed.
To ensure the new signs last longer than seven years, the city has also allocated $3,000 a year for maintenance.
The new signs will also be proof read before being erected.
When first installed, the sign above Kalamalka Lake said “Welcome Greater Vernon.” After complaints from the public, the word "to" was added.
