Spring timeline for new Parksville entry sign

The exit 46 sign replacement committee of the Parksville chamber is nearing the end of their fundraising efforts and are looking forward to building a fancy new entry sign for the south end of town in the spring.

“The sign was originally put up in 1987 to make sure people didn’t pass by the city on the — then new — highway,” said committee chair Cheryl Dill.

The 24 foot by 11 foot log and wood Parksville Beaches sign at exit 46, across from the weigh scales was a community effort at the time and Dill said the community has really been stepping up to help fund their ambitious new plan for a larger, eye catching, but still natural wood sign to help attract visitors into town.

The new sign will be a bit wider and two and a half times as high, including a roof over the all new project.

The replacement sign was proposed in early 2007 at an estimated cost of $127,500, though that has dropped considerably with donated labour and materials.

While fundraising was a bit slow in the current economy, the sign project has now secured the wood — a donation from Island Timberlands worth an estimated $10,000 — and most of the cash or in-kind donations they will need to complete it.

They have about $2,500 in fundraising left to do, which Dill is confident won’t be a problem, and now they just have to wait over the winter for the logs to dry adequately before Weather-Wise can begin their donation of milling the wood in the spring.

The committee has the Ministry of Transportation permits in place and they are excited about the design which was chosen through an extensive public canvas in 2007.

The chosen design is by Earl Scott — of the local Scott Signs — who did many of the log signs around town and on resort row.

The biggest cash contributions for the project come from the chamber ($25,000), Thrifty Foods which sold fundraising pins and then matched donations for a total of $20,000, the Beach Festival Society and Parksville Downtown Business Association both chipped in $5,000 and $2,500 each came from Parksville Chrysler, Oceanside Village Resort and Parksville PM Rotary, with numerous other businesses and community groups contributing cash or resources to the project.

Camelot Homes is donating the overall project management and construction supervision work.

Dill said they hope to involve the high school in preparing the wood and they will take down the old sign and begin preparing the site so when the wood is dry enough in the spring it will be quick to construct the new one.

Anyone interested in donating cash, expertise or a dry place to store the logs is encouraged to contact the chamber at 250-248-3613.

writer@pqbnews.com

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