Sign of the times
Discussion starts on new entry sign
By Lori Mellinger editor@bullardnews.com

Everything is still in its preliminary stages - even the location - but Bullard City Manager Larry Morgan said the next big community project is an entryway sign to the city.

"It really started with Brook Hill headmaster Rod Fletcher," Morgan said. "He expressed an interest in having a sign - welcoming everyone to Bullard - placed on U.S. Hwy. 69 North."

From there, Morgan put together a team consisting of two councilmembers, Fletcher, a Rotary Club representative and representatives from Bullard ISD.

And while funding is not yet clear, an architect has drawn up preliminary plans for the sign.

"Mike Butler from Fitzpatrick and Butler, a Tyler firm, donated his services to the project," Morgan said. "He's come up with about five different designs to choose from, and we'll be meeting again to go over the renderings."

One thing the group all agreed on is that they want it to be different from many of the generic entry signs most cities have.

"We want it to jump out and grab you," Butler said. "Most of the preliminary work I've done makes the sign vertical and built on a berm."

In one design, Bullard would be spelled out vertically in a sloped fashion, made from iron, and backlit with a silhouette for night viewing.

On each side, Butler said, would be a pedestal with logos for the school district and Brook Hill.

The cost at this point, he estimated, would be anywhere from $8-15,000.

"We will help in whatever capacity we can," Fletcher said. Bullard superintendent Jim Wright, who attended a recent meeting, said the district was interested, but it would have to go before the board.

"We have to be diligent with taxpayer money," Wright said. "So any participation would be decided by the board."

Morgan said the council would do the same.

Chad Davis, owner of Camp Davis Stone, attended the meeting on behalf of Bullard Rotary.

"We will, of course, do whatever we can," Davis said. That includes a monetary donation from the club and, he said, any kind of wholesale or discounted donation from his company.

"Whatever we do, we need to do it right," Davis said. "This is my home, this is where I'll raise my children and I want to see something that we can all be proud of and that will last."

The group is scheduled to meet again, contingent on the availability of the renderings and Butler.