A classy welcome sign is about to be installed near the northbound off ramp of Highway 99 that hopefully will draw motorists into the historic downtown at a cost of several thousand dollars provided by the Ripon Rotary Club.
Past president Harrison Gibbs has been leading the project for two years working with the state’s Caltrans and the city of Ripon in working out the details and getting approval for positioning the sign that matches similar arch signs over the width of Main Street on the west and Stockton Avenue on the east where it enters the city at Second Street from the freeway off ramp.
Gibbs felt strongly that something had to be done to bring more business traffic to the local merchants along the city’s main strip that have seen the same down turn of many of the older cities in the valley — trumpeting Rotary’s theme of  “Service Above Self.”
The sign will have a city seal centered along its 12-foot-high measure with a six foot sign.  The welcome sign is going to be mounted in aggregate material and will be lighted at night for the benefit of the oncoming traffic to easily see the structure mounted between two metal posts. 
Gibbs said it will be a month to six weeks before the sign will be seen along the shoulder of the freeway and final approval is realized.  He added that the sign is completed along with the metal beams that will be its support that are being kept and a Ripon commercial business yard.
Gibbs was also responsible for leading fellow Rotarians in establishing a free standing clock in Rotary’s name on the sidewalk outside the Ripon Library in the center of the downtown.  He has also been responsible for repainting many of the yellow fire hydrants throughout the community and the parking stripes in the downtown using a two-inch paint roller mounted at the end of the pole.

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.