Wasco County to add 'We Honor Veterans' to all gateway signs

Before presenting the plan, Perritt surprised the board and the audience by unveiling a newly minted set of Wasco County challenge coins. The small, engraved mementos were hand-designed in collaboration with a Florida company and include each branch of the U.S. military, including Space Force.

She handed out the coins adding that “everything that we do in our office, we stand by our motto, which is no veteran left behind.”

Vision formed on an Oregon road trip

Perritt told commissioners the signage idea first occurred to her on a long drive to Las Vegas.

“I saw as I was traveling through other states, and actually, as I was traveling down south through Oregon, so many other counties had signs that reflected their honor, their pride in their veterans,” she said. “I know for a fact that we honor our veterans … but we don’t have signage that shows that.”

Working first with a private sign maker and then with ODOT contacts provided by Public Works Director Arthur Smith, Perritt discovered that most of the county’s existing signs — originally installed around 2006 — now require structural reassessment. This created a rare opportunity.

The county has nine “Welcome to Wasco County” signs. Two large signs along Interstate 84 sit at a higher regulatory level Perrit joked was her “2000-foot level. Got to work really hard for that.”

The remaining seven signs can be changed without triggering federal-level requirements.

ODOT, Perritt explained, requires that roadside messages be readable in “three seconds or less,” with minimal distraction to drivers. That made simplicity necessary.

“Plain and simple doesn’t sit well with me,” she said. “I want it to be straight and to the point. We do honor veterans … and I really wanted that to be the point.”

Costs fall after ODOT staff “on fire for this”

Initial cost estimates for the replacements came in at $6,120, but Perritt said that number fell dramatically after ODOT staff took interest in the mission.

“They were actually really excited,” she told the board.

Many of the ODOT employees are themselves veterans or have veterans in their families. After hearing the purpose of the project, Perrit said they sought ways to lower the cost: reusing posts, absorbing expenses, and repurposing materials.

“They did us a huge solid,” she said. “Absolutely not cutting corners … but they were able to reduce the fees for us.”

As of Monday, she told commissioners, the revised figure stood at “maybe $3,700.”

Commissioner Hege praised the effort, calling the potential visibility of the message significant: “Huge numbers of people will see the sign.”

Perritt listed each highway where travelers will encounter the new message:

• U.S. 26 westbound and eastbound
• U.S. 197 northbound
• Highway 218 and Highway 216 westbound
• U.S. 97 southbound
• U.S. 30/OR-206 westbound

“Anywhere they’re entering into Wasco County, they’re going to see these signs,” she said. “Which is incredible.”

How to pay for it

Perritt told the board she could technically use her own veterans services department budget, but doing so would eliminate the office’s training funding for the year.

“This would basically not let us take any trainings, which would stop our education,” she said.

She has also applied for grants and promised that if she secures one, she would reimburse the county for the project in full.

Finance Director Mike Middleton confirmed the project could instead be funded from Special Projects, and commissioners appeared immediately comfortable with that approach.

Commissioners then amended the proposal to reflect the revised cost of $3,700, and voted unanimously to approve it.