Dakotafire Get your spark here.
People and communities have only one chance to make a great first impression, and a Britton resident wants to make sure her town is taking advantage of that opportunity.
“I have thought for many years that Britton was in need of updated signs coming into town,” Tena Kraft said. “I personally believe that a beautiful sign says a lot about a community and can give a great first impression to people entering the community.”
That thought was echoed by several area economic development people who recently toured area towns and wrote down their first impressions of the communities.
“When they wrote their opinions of Britton, the one thing they all said was that you need nicer and more welcoming signs when you come into Britton,” Kraft noted.
Last week Kraft kicked off a fundraising campaign for four new signs for the four roads leading into town by sending letters to businesses and organizations. The cost of the signs and installation, which will include landscape rock and pavers, will be $20,000.
The new signs will consist of a polystyrene core and an acrylic stucco finish that will not rot or rust. Signs will be placed over two four-foot concrete footings both above and below the ground.
“These signs will be something for everyone to appreciate and enjoy for decades to come,” Kraft noted. “When I asked the sign company how long they would last, he said that you will get sick of them and want to replace them before anything needs to be done to them. He said you could actually hit the sign with a hammer – it’s that strong.”
Replacing the signs put up by the Britton Area Chamber of Commerce a number of years ago has been talked about for some time.
“Many of the groups I’ve talked to said they’ve wanted to put up new signs but just never did it,” Kraft said. “I know everybody is busy, so I decided if I really wanted something done I would just have to go ahead and do it.”
The Britton Action Club (BAC) kicked off the fundraising campaign with a $1,000 donation and the Britton Area Foundation and Britton City Council have pledged support.
Any individual, business, or organization wishing to make a tax deductible contribution should make checks payable to the Britton Area Foundation and mail it to PO Box 415, Britton, 57430. Checks may also be dropped off at First Savings Bank with Area Foundation representatives Connie Steiner or Cheryl Bosse. Anyone with questions may also contact Kraft at 605-448-2361.
Contributors will be recognized and three elite donation levels have been established – Gold ($2,000 and above), Silver ($1,000-$1,999), and Bronze ($500-$999). But contributions of any size are welcome.
“My hope in doing all of this is that everybody that would like to see this done or thinks it is a good idea would give any type of donation to the project to make it possible,” Kraft concluded.
Locations for signs have not yet been determined but plans call for them to be erected as close to town as possible, giving them better visibility from passing vehicles. Once funds are raised it takes about six weeks to manufacture the signs, and hopes are to have them in place by this fall.
