By Kevin Hendricks
Voting opens Tuesday for a new project that would create a sign that welcomes visitors and residents to Sandia Park.
The “Here’s Your Sign” project invites the East Mountain community to contribute to the region’s history by designing the sign for Sandia Park. The project’s name references comedian Bill Engvall’s well-known joke, “Here’s your sign.”
The initiative is a collaboration between East Mountain High School teacher Adam Jones, Bernalillo County Commissioner Eric Olivas and the East Mountains Protection Action Coalition (EMPAC).
The project gives the public an opportunity to select a design for a sign that welcomes the world to Sandia Park, to be placed along New Mexico Highway 14.
Voting begins on May 20, at 7 a.m. and ends on May 30 at 11 p.m. The polling website technology allows for one vote per participant. The winner should be announced in early June, pending the final approval of BernCo.
Votes can be cast online.
This new public art contest was proposed after the announcement and recent installation of new signage for Edgewood in sectors of Bernalillo County.
Sandia Park did not want to fall behind and created this contest, where the sign “Welcome to Sandia Park” will ultimately be placed along scenic highway 14, right at the entrance of the area.
The call was made to artists, students and locals to let their creativity flow for a sign that is fun, distinctive and welcoming for highway 14, also known as the Turquoise Trail.