A proper sign welcoming visitors to Enumclaw has long been discussed at City Hall and, finally, it appears talk is turning to action.

Money had been set aside in the 2013 budget, designs had been created and tinkered with and a trio of likely locations had been identified. During their Aug. 12 meeting, members of the Enumclaw City Council neatly tied the loose ends together and gave their final blessing for the $22,000 project.

With needed dollars in the municipal budget, the task of designing a “monument sign” was handed to Pacific Northwest Sign. The original concept was for a sign between 20 and 25 feet wide and somewhere between 6 and 8 feet tall. Problem was, bids for a sign of that size ranged from $50,000 to $120,000.

City staff addressed the issue by scaling things down a bit and simplifying the sign face. A new concept called for a sign 15 feet wide, but still 8 feet tall. The words “Welcome to” have been eliminated, with “Enumclaw” growing in size.

The process  involved the city’s Department of Community Development and Planning Commission, as well as the council’s Community and Economic Development Committee.

With a design in hand, a site was still in question. It was determined the monument sign will be at the northeast corner of the intersection of state Route 410 and Warner Avenue, in the vicinity of the Foothills Trail trailhead. The sign was originally planned to be closer to the trail, but – with the reduced size – the decision was made to move the sign as close as possible to the highway.

Other locations considered were Triangle Park at the intersection of SR 410 and Cole Street and a spot on the west side of 410 in front of the city’s wastewater treatment plant.