West entrance sign formally dedicated

Photo by Tom Hutton

The final touches for a 54-foot-by-13-foot concrete sign that signifies the west entrance to UCCS are complete.

Bushes planted as part of landscaping are taking root and solar-powered lights ensure all who pass by the intersection of Austin Bluffs Parkway and North Nevada Avenue know they are entering UCCS territory.

Formal dedication ceremonies for the sign were this morning on the northeast corner of the intersection. Representatives of local government, civic organizations, businesses and the campus community attended.

“It is important that we, as a university, say thank you to those who made this sign – the subject of many discussions and dreams over the years – a reality,” said Martin Wood, vice chancellor, University Advancement, before the event.

Representatives of El Paso County, the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, C&C Sand and GH Phipps Construction were expected to attend and to be recognized by UCCS leadership for their financial or in-kind donations.

“Without the donated materials, construction management services and labor, this sign wouldn’t have happened,” said Brian Burnett, vice chancellor, administration and finance. “We are deeply appreciative of so many people seeing the importance of this project and being willing to contribute to it.”

The primary portions of the sign were completed in October 2010, with details such as plants, mulch and irrigation completed this spring by UCCS Facilities Services staff members. The dedication ceremony was scheduled to allow donors to attend.

A sign announcing the university’s presence at one of the city’s busiest intersections was bandied about for more than a decade, Wood said, but the project was routinely postponed because of a lack of funds.