Welcome to Pensacola Beach!

I have neglected to post a photo on my blog of the new Welcome to Pensacola Beach sign erected on the east end of Pensacola Beach several months ago. Shame on me.

When I contacted the Santa Rosa Island Authority to ask about the sign (which I love), I was told the concept was Buck Lee's and that SRIA carpenter, Paul Harvey, had made it himself. What a great job!

Mr. Harvey and another employee, Michael Chappardi, erected the sign. Other employees - Adel Tomasek, Robbie Gropp and Richard Fuller - were responsible for the landscaping. In the words of Mason Kilgore, Director of Public Works, "In reality, it was team effort."

But it gets even better when you hear about the cost of the new sign. Materials and ornaments for the project were purchased from Lowes and the combined cost of landscaping and materials came to $414.74. The labor was $400.00, so total cost for the sign was only $814.74. Compare that to the welcome sign just past the toll booth, which was purchased in August of 2000 at a cost of $7500.00-- nine times the cost of the new sign! Significant savings, indeed!

So, there you go! When you have good people, great ideas, and team effort, life is good and we all benefit!