Ramona Archway Sign to be Unveiled on Halloween

On Thursday, October 31, the Ramona community will come together to celebrate the unveiling of the Ramona Archway sign at the intersection of 10th and Main Street. The event will take place during the Merchants Safe Trick-or-Treat. The block party celebration will feature live music by Dirty Confetti starting at 5:30, and the unveiling ceremony will begin at 6:30.

Jim Piva, a San Diego Country Estates resident since 1997 and owner of Piva Equipment Services since 1983, has been working on the Ramona Archway project for almost a decade. He says they wanted to do the unveiling when Main Street is already going to be busy with The Merchants Safe Trick-Or-Treat event, bringing an audience of 5,000 parents and kids. "It will be neat to do it while they are there," says Piva. Supervisor Joel Anderson for the County of San Diego gave a $250,000 grant to the Ramona Archway Association, of which Piva is the president. Anderson will have the honor of performing the ceremonial unveiling.

The artist for the Ramona Archway is Leslie Souza, who also did the "Welcome to Ramona" sign located at State Route 67 and Highland Valley Road, so there is continuity in the artwork. The "Welcome to Ramona" sign is now owned by the Ramona Archway Association, who relandscaped it and added lighting so it's visible at night.

Piva wanted an archway in Ramona like the one in Encinitas, Old Town, and the Gaslamp Quarter. He says the archway is amazing. "It will be in the middle of town. You can't miss it," he says. They will be able to hang banners on it throughout the year supporting community events.

"We had our shovels ready," Piva says. "And contractors lined up." There were 20 contractors who volunteered their time and labor and were committed to the archway. So many Ramona community members donated their time and money to bring this project to fruition. "A lot of good people have stepped up to make it happen." They were fortunate enough to have Hankins Construction on board. The owner, Debbie Hankins, did a lot of the paperwork and forms. She was born and raised here, and her family has been here for generations.

Piva thanks his committee members, including Bob Halloway, CPA, who donated his time and did all their paperwork for this 501(c)(3) organization. The secretary on the committee is Stephanie Norvell from Town & Country Home Loans & Real Estate. She is very active in the community. The project manager, Chip Rumis, knows how to build things and runs a tight ship on the project. He keeps everyone focused and moving forward. The committee held countless meetings preparing for this special day to present the archway.

Piva also thanks his wife of 26 years, Melanie Piva, who stepped it up at work so he could make the archway happen. She was critical to the effort behind the archway. She made sure Piva had the time to dedicate to the project.

Ramona is a great community, and Piva says he couldn't be prouder. The community has been behind him all the way, and it's been really rewarding. "It's taken tens of thousands of volunteer hours to make this a reality," says Piva. He is so proud of everyone's efforts and how they donated their time. "The kid who donated a quarter is just as important as the guy who cuts the biggest check."

Many people have asked what name they are going to place on the plaque that would be displayed on the archway. Piva said they will not be putting names on the plaque for recognition as other cities do. There is no degree of importance, and this archway is for the community who pulled together to create it. It's for the community of Ramona; the people of this town constructed the archway.

After the unveiling of the Ramona Archway sign, Piva is going to shift his focus to putting a "Welcome to Ramona" sign on Highway 78 by Haverford Road near Frosted Faces, and another on the East end of Main Street near Earlham Street. Once finalized, there will be three "Welcome to Ramona" signs, plus the Ramona Archway. This way, everyone will know they are welcome to this beautiful town no matter where they're coming from.

Photos courtesy of Jim Piva.