JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Plans to have brand new stone welcome signs made for the city of Whitwell are now in the works following the community’s recent city meeting.
During the meeting, Whitwell Commissioner David Hudson explained how in a previous workshop, discussion surrounding the addition of new welcome signs was presented. He stated the idea is to reach out to local businesses to donate stone for brand new “Welcome to Whitwell” signs, which are planned to be posted at both the northern and southern ends of the community off of Highway 28. Any business who sponsors a sign could also have additional signage posted onto them for promotional purposes.
Tracy Steele, a Whitwell resident and business owner of the Landing Zone Grill, added how the signs would be similar to Whitwell Memorial Funeral Home’s main sign, albeit made of stone rather than brick. Each business looking to sponsor a sign would be charged $300 for each one, with all funds earned from sponsorships going towards covering construction costs. Steele himself mentioned he has already donated stone for the project, hoping the city turns to a local source that would further help supply stone as well as potentially construct the signs altogether.
“I’d say we tried to find a local person within the city that’s paying taxes and utilize them,” said Steele.
Commissioner Hudson suggested the idea should be further formalized for next month’s meeting, with the city to not only accept Tracy’s donation of stone for the project, but also to work alongside with him to have all drawings and costs organized for further examination and potential approval.