The Town of Davidson is out tens of thousands of dollars after a previous town council’s idea to generate revenue for the community didn’t quite work out as planned.

According to discussion around the council table last Monday, it was a well-meaning idea to erect two large steel billboards by Highway 11, which the town bought for around $30,000, in order to generate revenue for the town through paid advertising.

The steel signs were purchased less than two years ago in order to replace the wooden signs that grace the side of the highway. Council decided to replace the wooden signs because they are susceptible to damage by wind, but the new steel signs are now being sold without ever being put up due to the cost of erecting them.

At the April 20, 2010, Davidson town council meeting a request was presented by then-recreation director Morgan Grainger to purchase two steel billboards from Abacus Signs for an approximate total cost of $37,000 and that the funds be taken from the town recreation capital account. The motion was carried.

After purchasing the 12 feet by 48 feet steel billboards for $27,540 plus PST, it was learned that to erect them the town would need to put in three feet square by 16 feet deep concrete piles at a further cost to the town of $27,000. This is due to concerns of the large signs blowing over during a windstorm.

The idea to put up the billboards stopped there and they have been lying on the ground behind the Davidson Communiplex ever since.

Town council passed a motion to advertise for tenders for the two billboards at their March 20, 2012, meeting in an effort to sell them and recoup the cost. They have been unable to find any takers so far.

At the recent Jan. 14, 2012, town council meeting a motion was passed to try and sell the billboards at a reduced cost as a way to cut their losses instead of sinking any more money into the project.