No Stone for Quarry Town Sign?

ROCKLIN, Calif. – A new sign to commemorate the rock-solid history of the area will go up next spring … without any rock.
The Sacramento Bee reported in July that this northern California town would construct a 180’-long display depicting the process of quarrying and fabricating granite, at one of the town entrances to welcome visitors off nearby Interstate 80. What the sign won’t include – as indicated in early plans – is any granite.
Instead, the display will use concrete made to look like granite. The faux-granite sign will show the transformation of boulders into quarried pieces, ending with a 5’X 30’ sign declaring “Welcome to Rocklin.”
Rocklin, once known as “Granite Capital of the West,” contains plenty of reminders of the real stone, including its City Hall and municipal signs made from granite. At one time, up to 60 quarries operated in the area.
While the City Hall overlooks a still-operating quarry, the cost of transporting granite would likely exceed the sign project’s $1.25 million budget, according to Rocklin city officials contacted by the Bee.
“Using the manufactured rock, which actually is very real-looking, is a lot cheaper,” Rocklin City Manager Carlos Urrutia said. “My approach is to be practical. This is the fake rock used across the industry.”