The City of Nelson has received a provincial grant to replace or revamp the three Welcome to Nelson signs on the outskirts of the city.
The $700,000 grant, one of many given for tourism infrastructure across the province, is also intended to create new directional signage within the city, as well as to build a washroom and install electrical service at the stage in Cottonwood Park.
In a video posted on the City of Nelson’s Facebook page, Mayor John Dooley pointed to rotted out sections on one of the city’s three welcome signs.
“We are going to reach out to the community for their feedback and we are going to reach out for design concepts that work for our community,” said Dooley.
Senior city planner Sebastien Arcand meanwhile told the Nelson Star that the signs’ supporting structures are in good condition.
“They’re basically sitting on pressure treated posts, and those look to be sturdy,” said Arcand.
He said the project might simply involve creating new panels, and that there will likely be a design competition.
“We’re going to ask the the community what they want,” said Arcand. “Do you want us to simply replicate those signs? Do you want to explore something new?”
The existing signs were originally designed and carved by the late Art Waldie in 1968 and then replicated and replaced in 2001.
Arcand said the grant funding requires that the project be initiated by December, and that the public input process will begin soon.
Related: Remembering the man who carved Nelson’s iconic welcome signs
bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com
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