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BAY MINETTE, Alabama — The North Baldwin Chamber Foundation presented $3,600 to the City of Bay Minette to support the Bay Minette in Bloom campaign and the installation of an additional Welcome to Bay Minette sign.

Foundation Secretary/Treasurer Ben Hansert and Foundation Executive Director Ashley Davis made the presentation to Mayor Bob Wills and J.J. Hall with the Bay Minette Beautification Committee.

The “Bay Minette in Bloom” campaign began in 2013 as a way to bring beautiful hanging baskets to downtown Bay Minette. The project has continued to blossom under the guidance of the North Baldwin Chamber Foundation, which continues to raise funds to install and maintain the Bay Minette in Bloom hanging baskets.

For a donation of $250, individuals or businesses can sponsor a basket display which consists of one pole with two hanging baskets. Sponsorships are then renewable each year for $150 to help with the upkeep of the basket. Sponsorships can be made in memory or honor of someone and a sign will be hung at a basket location upon request of the donor.

Since its inception the “Bay Minette in Bloom” project has raised more than $16,000 for the project. For more information about making a donation or becoming a sponsor, contact the North Baldwin Chamber Foundation at 251-937-5665 or visit its website at northbaldwinchamber.com.

One of the new “Welcome to Bay Minette” signs is already complete at the intersection of Hand Avenue and McMeans Avenue/287. Plans are already in the works to replace the “Welcome to Bay Minette” signs in Douglasville and on U.S. Highway 31 South and to add a new sign on U.S. Highway 31 North. The North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce on McMeans Avenue will also receive new signage on McMeans Avenue.

The completed signage is the result of a cooperative effort of several local agencies. The sign features beautiful gas lanterns provided by North Baldwin Utilities and is flanked by crepe myrtles and new landscaping provided by North Baldwin Infirmary. In addition to funding from the Chamber Foundation, the city also received a grant from the Alabama Power Gateway Grants.

The Chamber Foundation initially contributed $4,000 toward the project with $1,000 committed to replacing the existing “Welcome” signs and the Chamber of Commerce sign. This week the Foundation added another $1,000 donation toward the cost of a new sign on U.S. Highway 31 North.