New South Side welcome monument to be constructed
By Cameron Montemayor
St. Joseph’s gateway to the South Side will see the addition of a new monument sign this year meant to welcome residents and visitors to the area.
The St. Joseph City Council recently gave its stamp of approval to provide $15,250 in funding for the fabrication and installation of a welcome monument at the intersection of Lake Avenue and King Hill Avenue.
The double-sided monument will be roughly 4 1/2 feet tall and 11 1/2 feet long, with text that reads “Welcome to South St. Joseph” on one side and “Thank you for visiting South St. Joseph” on the other.
South Side native Damien Lee was pleased with the preliminary design of the structure and thinks it will be a nice addition to signify the area.
“I think they would be proud of having that there for this side of St. Joe. I would be happy if we had it there,” Lee said. “I think it will look good.”
Ricardo Dibella, a South Side resident and frequent walker at Krug Park, thinks the sign is coming along nicely from what he’s seen thus far.
“The sign is looking good,” he said. “For me, it’s really beautiful here, I can’t say enough.”
St. Joseph business Rodrick Sign Co. will lead design and construction of the structure. The sign will have textured siding and a stone finish on the base, similar to the monument welcome sign on Frederick Avenue in Downtown, St. Joseph.
Others like lifelong South Sider Josh Miller think the money could be better spent in other areas.
“I think it’s a waste of money myself,” he said. “You could probably spend more of that on homeless people.”
Funding for the project comes as part of an American Rescue Plan Act-funded small business exterior improvement program.
Rodrick Sign Co. said it is looking to start construction on the structure in the next two months. The contract states that the structure shall be completed by no later than Dec. 31, 2024.
