Last December, one year ago this month, I started a very important initiative.
It all started when members from our fire department were delivering Christmas letters from Santa and were having a tough time locating civic addresses in our communities.
I felt the need to share information on civic signs over the course of multiple months, from why they’re important to how they should be installed and where you can get them.
Over the past year I’ve been able to meet with some really great people, learn tips from other organizations, give advice and ultimately guide many people into getting their own sign.
This particular project was a little bit different and took sometime to put together, with a total of three months in the making and lots of hands on deck.
After the devastating wildfire in West Dalhousie there was a need for civic signs in the community.
The last thing we wanted to do was cause any extra stress or criticize anyone who didn’t have a civic sign or needed a hand getting one installed.
I reached out to a number of key people to see if the project was possible, with their help we got a list of people on board to make sure residents could get a sign stress free.
With the help of West Dalhousie resident, Sindy Schofield, we managed to get a pretty lengthy list of residents who were in need of a civic sign!
Between his regular orders that trickle in, Coldbrook & District Lions Club member, John Barrett, worked diligently to complete over 40 handmade civic signs.
John worked on these signs for sometime, drilling holes in the signs and also getting them placed on all the posts, big thank you for your volunteer work John.
With the help from Annapolis Ground Search and Rescue Team and president Diane, we were able to task out teams to install signs!
Despite an emergency call this morning, Bridgetown Fire ran a little late but they were still able to make it out to help put up the remaining signs this afternoon.
Big thank you to both organizations for helping with this project, outside of your already busy schedules.
Also a big thank you to Annapolis County REMO for supplying maps. Due to the lack of cellphone service in West Dalhousie, it’s tough locating properties without civic signs, these maps helped significantly with installing them.
This project would also not have been possible without the support from some generous donations that covered all the costs, taking nothing from the residents nor the funds donated to the West Dalhousie Community Hall.
Big thank you to the Annapolis Valley Canadian Union Of Postal Workers Local 006, Rob and the team with The Lawrie Group of Homehardwares & Mike Evans with Berwick Foodland.
These civic signs will not only play a vital role in the chance an emergency happens but for carrier companies, nurses, oil companies and many other necessary services that may need to locate a civic address in the community.
I’m hoping this important project might spark some kind of action in another community, where people can come together and do something positive even when things are tough.
Again, big thank you to all those who helped, donated and supported this amazing community project.
Adrian J.
