Bill Dennis wants the first impression of our city to be a lasting one.
The Sarnia councillor is leading a charge to replace the city's welcome signs, with new ones that are updated, refreshed and rebranded.
The illuminated Sarnia sign on Highway 402 near the airport would not be included.
"Almost all of our welcoming signs are very pedestrian, generic and not that welcoming, in many cases, also faded and worn," said Dennis. "I believe we should show a sense of pride with our signs and we should try to create some excitement. I give full credit to most others in the county who have jumped ahead of us and done just that with their signs."
Dennis commends Point Edward, Petrolia, Watford, Corunna, Camlachie, Alvinston and Plympton-Wyoming for their signage.
"Our boring, institutional looking signs, certainly aren't going to sell anyone on Sarnia. When I researched this topic, there are also countless examples right across Ontario of municipalities updating their signs, Sudbury and Barrie are two to note."
Councillor Brian White thought it was a "great idea."
"The County of Lambton just went through this process as well and those different entry points are really important for people entering communities, so we moved forward some really neat looking signs for the county as well, so, I think it's a great idea," said White.
Council has asked staff to report back on how much the project would cost and suggested using revenue from the municipal accommodation tax (MAT) to pay for the signs.
