And the sign needs to say 'turn left."
The Signage and Downtown Gateway Improvement Task Force likes the location of the former Squamish entry sign that was taken out in a vehicle crash in February. The group wasn't crazy about the fact that it didn't advise motorists to turn left.
"It was a good location, with good visibility," Dan McRae, the District of Squamish's economic sustainability coordinator, told council on July 10.
The sign's replacement wasn't assigned funding in the 2012 budget. Officials anticipate to receive approximately $17,350 from ICBC for the destroyed structure, a sum that doesn't reflect in-kind materials and labour originally volunteered when the sign was put in place in 2002.
"We feel that there is going to need to be some additional capital," McRae said, adding that officials will have a better idea how much more is needed after the request for proposals on a new sign comes back.
Officials expect to have a recommended design and cost options brought before council in September.
District staff is also examining less expensive ways to display banners for special events. The municipality doesn't have a bucket truck, so previously it hired a person to install the banners above the highway. On average, 34 different banners were installed annually, with the bill per banner at approximately $300.
Once on Cleveland Avenue, more visual links are needed to draw people downtown, the task force noted. The topic will be addressed in the next step of the process, McRae said.
"We really tried to keep it focused on sign replacement and then move it to the gateway entrance," he said.
