Rathdrum rolls out the welcome mats
<p>Mike Dan, lead installer with Sign Service, pours a bag of concrete mix into a post hole Tuesday as he installs a sign at an entry point on Highway 41, one of three new signs.</p>
RATHDRUM - Rathdrum is enjoying a mini-makeover.
Three additional smaller city entrance signs were erected on Tuesday on both ends of Highway 53 and on the north side along Highway 41 to complement the larger one at the south entrance built two years ago.
Other ongoing projects including adding benches to the downtown and along pathways. Flags along Highways 41 and 53 have also been put up this summer to create a hometown feel.
"We're trying to improve the look and feel of the city and let people know when they're in city limits," City Administrator Brett Boyer said.
The three new signs cost $2,550 total, including materials and installation, and were funded out of the city's general fund budget.
The dark green and gold signs read, "Welcome, City of Rathdrum, Established 1861."
The signs, which are 7 feet high and 5 feet wide, including the posts, are a smaller version of the more elaborate sign at the main entrance on the southside on Highway 41 that has stonework and logs.
The larger sign was recently damaged by vandals, but has been repaired and received improvements, including adding the city's established date.
Rathdrum's Gem Committee has been working on the project several years and has collaborated with the city on the additional signs.
Boyer said the city has received compliments on the flags in town.
"We plan on putting them up every year and during special occasions," he said.
Boyer said after the intersection of Highway 41 and Wright Street is reconfigured, signs with lighting that direct visitors to downtown will be erected. Adding monuments to that area is also being considered.