Radium Hot Springs has upgraded the esthetics of its communal greeting, but the message is remaining the same.

After exiting Kootenay National Park and entering the Village of Radium Hot Springs, the wooden sign reading “Mountains shall bring peace to the people” has been greeting valley-bound motorists since 1928.

Until recently, the sign dangled from chains on a basic wooden frame — two vertical pillars with a horizontal beam on top. Its replacement sees every aspect of the sign upgraded.

“[Radium council] decided, after the sign posts had been broken one too many times, that it needed a more permanent home,” said Radium mayor Dee Conklin. “The entrance signs we have coming into Radium have served us well so we thought that a similar design with proper landscaping would be a fitting answer.”

The new concept has the sign supported horizontally from giant wooden pillars, and sheltered by a metal roof with a standing seam.

The sign itself has been refurbished, and at its base is a stone planter.

A few minor changes were made that are different from the artist’s concept, said Mayor Conklin. The new sign was erected on Friday, May 16th.