The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Coming into Electric City from the south, there is a big sign that says, “Welcome to Grand Coulee Dam Area.”

It was put up decades ago by the local Rotary Club. Another one just like it welcomes travelers coming into the area on the highway to Wilbur. It says the exact same thing. One doesn’t say, “Welcome to Electric City,” and the other doesn’t say, “Welcome to Grand Coulee.”

That choice reflected the deep-seated desire of community leaders at the time to unite the community to strengthen it. It was almost an ethic at the time that recognized that four small towns would never be able to accomplish what they could as one, no matter how much cooperation they shared.

That ethic has changed among community leaders and perhaps among the public in general, as evidenced by the fact that as Electric City’s council discussed earlier this month whether to shell out $45,000 on a sign to welcome people to their city, alone, they didn’t even bring up the fact that a sign at the beginning of their city already welcomes people to the area. To their credit, they want to know what their constituents think about the idea, and they’re offering a poll to help them decide.

If you live in Electric City, let your city council know if spending on a new nicely designed sign to welcome people to the city with a new toursim-centric motto would be a worthwhile expense.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher