LANETT — Some aging oaks were removed Monday morning near the Chambers County Courthouse Annex. Such trees are a liability problem as they are in risk of falling or having large limbs break and fall, possibly hitting vehicles parked outside.

Cutting the oaks is part of giving the Courthouse Annex a new look. An impressive new sign will be going up soon. It should be a real attention getter to people who are traveling up and down Highway 29.

“We’re hoping to brighten things up,” said Commissioner Sam Bradford. “We’ve been discussing this and meeting with a sign vendor.”

Unlike the present sign in front of the building, the new one will have two sides and will be lighted at night.

It will be approximately eight feet tall and six feet wide. Prominently displayed on the sign will be Chambers County’s Strength Woven In logo.

The decision to have a new sign was in part because of the ongoing branding effort.

“It grew out of that,” said Bradford, “and some of us felt we needed a better sign.”

The branding campaign began in the fall of 2014. It was an initiative of the Chambers County Development Authority, Chambers County Commission and Powersouth Electric. In 2015, the Southern Economic Development Council recognized the Chambers County’s Strength Woven In logo with a Best in Class award for small communities.

Some of the ways the brand has been implemented into the community include shirts, Christmas tree ornaments, pens, lapel pins, stickers, print media, card decals, business cards, thank you notes, utility bills, pole banners and on the way, a big sign outside the Courthouse Annex.

There’s a movement now for each town, city and public entity in Chambers County to have its own unique Strength Woven In logo. Most of them do, and some are quite creative. Bradshaw-Chambers County Library’s logo is in the shape of an open book, the Chambers County School District’s logo is in the shape of an apple, Lanett City Schools has one in the shape of a big L and Huguley Water has one in the form of a dripping faucet.

“We’re not done yet,” said Kimberly Carter of the CCDA. “Plans are to continue pushing forward with the new brand. We’ll be updating the web sites and working with Point University on brand recognition. We’ll work on marketing this brand beyond Chambers County.”

There’s an old expression that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Other cities and counties in Alabama have been contacting the CCDA asking for advice on implementing their own branding campaigns.