When Yachats city offices move from the Commons to the 501 Building there will be a bright, new sign for it.
Seven Yachats residents banded together to buy a mistakenly-made city entrance sign and are donating it to hang in or on City Hall.
Wednesday night, the City Council formally accepted the gift and thanked Michael and Debbie Hempen, Jacqueline Danos and John Purcell, Wake and Kinlen Wheeler, and Joanne Kittel for buying and donating the sign.
The city recently finished re-doing the signs along U.S. Highway 101 at the north and south entrances to Yachats. Except when Ken Spencer of Newport Signs went to erect the north sign, he discovered it was about a foot too big.
Spencer quickly made and installed another – then offered the city the too-large sign for $900, more than $700 below cost. He thought they could put it somewhere.
But the council turned him down last month.
Hempen said he saw an opportunity and figured the city would need something to hang at the new City Hall whenever it moves from the Commons building.
“I appreciate the color and design … so I reached out to some friends,” he said. “It came so easy. They just said “Sure, ok.”
Hempen offered Spencer $500 for the sign. He took it.
“He just wanted the city to have it,” Hempen said.
