The entry to Seeley Lake sign will be approximately nine feet tall by 14 feet wide. The center six feet will be treated corrugated steel with stainless steel letters mounted out from the corrugated. Four foot wide logs banded with steel straps will be on each side. The entire sign will be mounted on a 3 X 3 X 14 foot reinforced concrete base with river rock outer.
After years of talks, designs, permits and coordination, the Seeley Lake Community Foundation is excited to help bring a new "Welcome to Seeley Lake" sign to town! The sign will be installed this spring at 'the Barn' at the southern end of the community.
Over the past several years, there have been several efforts to enhance our downtown area. The Seeley Lake Community Council decreased the speed limit through town, SLCF spearheaded a beautification and branding effort adorning lampposts with attractive banners and the Chamber of Commerce has been actively promoting events and local businesses. Now, installing a new welcome sign will further highlight this community for travelers driving our beautiful Highway 83 corridor, the informally named 'Glacier Parkway'. We hope that a new welcome sign, an important introduction to so many small towns, will be a source of community pride, representing our timber history, incorporating native materials and promoting our friendly, small-town feeling to visitors and residents. Thank you Kris Gullikson for the beautiful design.
In January, the Seeley Lake Community Foundation received a grant for $11,365 from the Montana Department of Commerce Tourism Grant Program to help with construction and installation costs for the sign. The 2:1 matching cost reimbursement structure of the grant means that for every item or service purchased as part of the submitted budget, the Montana Department of Commerce will reimburse SLCF for two-thirds of the expense.
The total budget submitted was $17,050. SLCF has committed the other $5,694 (one-third of the cost) needed to make this project happen. Donations towards this project are much appreciated! Checks can be mailed to SLCF, P.O. Box 25, Seeley Lake MT 59868, or you can donate online at http://www.slcfmt.org.
The Montana Department of Transportation permits (graciously grandfathered-in from when this project was initially begun in 2016) stipulate installation by May, weather permitting. Thank you to Mark Williams, of Lake Country Builders, for coordinating construction and installation. Thanks also to Double Arrow Enterprises, for permission to place the sign at the Barn.
Plans for a similar new sign for the north end of town will be embarked upon in the future. We are cognizant of the cost of this project (designed to incur low maintenance costs and age gracefully), and are looking for ways to build and install the sign under budget.
Many Seeley Lake community members have been trying to make this project a reality for years-thank you to everyone who has been involved!
The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is a public 501c3 nonprofit that engages philanthropy, provides leadership, and enhances the quality of life and economic vitality of the Seeley Lake area. For more information contact SLCF Executive Director Claire Muller at 406-677-3506 or email cmuller@slcfmt.org
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