DOWAGIAC — Visitors passing through Dowagiac will soon be greeted by the sight of a brick structure welcoming them to the city, thanks to a donation by a local organization.

During its annual Friends and Family of Rotary dinner Thursday evening, the Dowagiac Rotary Club announced that it would be donating a welcome sign to the city of Dowagiac. Designed by Wightman, a consulting firm based in Benton Harbor, the sign will be made of brick and feature the phrase “Welcome to Dowagiac” and the Rotary logo.

The sign is being gifted as part of the club���s centennial celebration next year. Rotarian Larry Crandall said the idea to gift a sign came out of discussions about how the club could celebrate the milestone anniversary in a meaningful way.

“This is certainly a significant milestone,” he said. “We knew we would be having our 100th anniversary, and we thought, ‘what can we do? There has to be something we can do to signify this and honor our club and its long-time existence. … Finally, we came up with the thought: why not give a gift to the community of Dowagiac?”

Mayor Don Lyons was present at Thursday’s dinner and helped to reveal the welcome sign project. He said he believed the sign would be an excellent gift to the city.

“This is something this community has needed for generations — a monumental welcoming sign that is as big as our heart is for the city,” Lyons said. “This is it. I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m delighted with the location. There is absolutely nothing about it that isn’t top rate, just like the Rotary Club.”

Though the exact cost of the project is still being negotiated, so far, the Dowagiac Rotary Club has raised 70 percent of all funds necessary to build the welcome sign. The club is planning to raise the necessary remaining funds through donations and the selling of commemorative bricks that can be purchased by current and past Rotarians, in addition to family members of deceased Rotarians.

Rotary members said they expect construction to begin next fall with the pouring of the footings, and the rest of construction to take place in spring 2020.

Crandall said that he hopes that city residents will support and enjoy the sign project, adding that he believes the project meets at least two of the tenants of Rotary’s four-way test: Will it build goodwill and better friendships? And will it be beneficial to all concerned?

“I believe this gift will do that and continue the legacy of the Dowagiac Rotary Club onto the next 100 years,” Crandall said.