The Pack of Presidents is ready to undertake its first community service project.

It's a big one.

The club's members want to bring welcome signs to the city of Austin.

Two would be erected in 2003 along Interstate 90 and two more along U.S. 218 sometime afterwards.

The greeting would make a statement: Austin has a lot to offer and invites attention.

"We think this is a great thing for the city of Austin," said Gary Rhodes, representing the Austin Rotary Club in the newly formed organization.

"We have nothing like it in Austin now and we've had great interest and participation from the city, the Chamber and the Pack of Presidents' organizations."

At a meeting Friday morning at the Austin Municipal Building, Rhodes updated members or fund-raising efforts and the prospects for seeing the signs constructed and installed next year.

They included Mark Marreel, Donald Barnes, Joe Collins, Gretchen Ramlo and Frank Soucek. All expressed satisfaction the project is moving forward.

Craig Hoium, the city of Austin's planning director, prepared the conceptual designs for the signs.

The signs will be illuminated and their size depends upon their location and the space available.

Spruce Up Austin, Inc. is on-board the project to perform the landscaping around the signs, according to Gretchen Ramlo, president of SUA, Inc.

The Pack of Presidents Club met Friday morning at Austin municipal Building to hear an update from Rhodes.

The roster of club members includes Austin Morning Lions Club, Austin Jaycees, Austin Golden K Kiwanis, Austin Early Risers Kiwanis, Austin Noon Kiwanis, Austin Noon Lions Club,

and Austin Rotary Club and SUA, Inc.

The idea is to pool the resources of the club's officers, who serve both their own civic club and as a member -- there are no officers in the Pack of Presidents club -- during their terms in office.

After considering other possible projects, the Pack for Presidents Club decided on the city signage.

The new welcome signs are patterned on signs at Lake City, Iowa and not only are the city and the individual civic clubs involved.

So is the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, which has agreed to pick up one third of the costs.

There will be room for the logos of the six civic clubs, participating n the project, on the sign

Rhodes plans to visit with the Austin City Council's finance committee to discuss the funding later this month

Ramlo was pleased to see the signage project reach fruition.

"So many people have tried over the years to make the welcome sign project work and now we're going to see this really happen for the community," Ramlo said.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com