Situated near the intersection of Highway 120, McHenry Avenue and Escalon-Bellota Road – the city’s main intersection – a new electronic sign towers above the roadway and offers both information and advertisements.
The new sign was recently installed by Escalon Public Works crews, financed through the Escalon Lions Club as a gift to the city. Electrical wiring work for the sign was donated by the local Grossi Electric.
Now, the electronic billboard has taken its place alongside the ‘Welcome to Escalon’ sign along the highway, heading west.
“It’s a project the Lions has had for quite a while,” explained Lions Club member John Salvin, who was one of the original driving forces behind getting the sign installed. “We had gone to a couple of council meetings, wanted to make sure the city wanted it, then it was a long process of where we wanted to put it.”
Salvin said Juston Collins of the city’s Public Works Department suggested the idea for placement at the intersection and that proved to be the spot selected.
“We try to do one big project a year,” Salvin explained. “This was our project for 2018.”
He said the sign, which will be used primarily for community service announcements and have time, date and temperature information, cost roughly $16,000 and was paid for by the Lions Club.
The city provided the installation and labor for getting the sign installed.
Two pillars were poured and the sign then anchored to those posts, so it is high above the roadway and can easily be seen by passing motorists. Messages scroll through so those stopped at the red light will have time to look at several announcements.
City officials are also expecting to offer some advertising opportunities on the sign, though community service announcements are likely to have priority. Recent messages scrolling through highlighted the Lions Club upcoming Autumn Cruise, thanked Grossi Electric and the Lions Club for their contributions in making the sign project possible, listed the time and temperature, offered information about sign-ups for karate classes through the city’s Recreation Department and welcomed people to Escalon, Home of the Cougars.
