The Haines Borough recently installed its new $5,000 “Welcome to Haines” sign at the Port Chilkoot Dock, but visitors might have some trouble getting the message.

The sign, designed and constructed by Haines artist Megan Morehouse, features the salutation “Welcome to Haines” spelled out in blue mussel shells and inlaid in sticks of gray driftwood.

The problem is the blue lettering blends with the gray background, making the message hard to read, particularly in photographs, said Mayor Stephanie Scott.

“In the photo that I saw, the ‘Welcome to Haines’ didn’t show up,” said Scott, and that’s concerning because tourists coming off the cruise ship have traditionally liked to take pictures of or with the old sign, which was made by Tresham Gregg.

“People want the name ‘Haines’ in the picture,” she said.

Scott said she relayed her concerns to deputy clerk Krista Kielsmeier, who she told to inform the manager and Morehouse about the issue.

“I really like the sign,” Scott said. “I think it is really iconic and beautifully done, and if the ‘Welcome to Haines’ were in white glass instead of the mussel shells, it would be fine. I don’t know if she can fix that, but that would be my suggestion.”

Manager David Sosa said he has “heard concerns” from some people and went out to look at the sign for himself. “My sense is when you look at it in a photo, it is difficult to see what it says,” Sosa said.

Sosa said he is “interested in hearing about what other people have to say” and will continue to look into the issue, though as of Tuesday he hadn’t contacted Morehouse to talk about possible solutions.

“I have a number of things that have a lot more priority than a sign,” Sosa said.

Morehouse said the piece looked fine to her when she was building it. “I can read the words just fine. The wood and the shells are both natural materials, so they have a tendency to go well together,” she said.

The design Morehouse submitted to win the bid for making the sign, which is posted on the borough’s website, shows its lettering in greater relief than the finished project.

Morehouse said she spent 210 hours on the piece, her biggest to date. It is made entirely of materials collected from Haines beaches, except for the glue and support structures.

Morehouse said she wasn’t sure how to make the sign’s lettering more visible. “I mean, I guess you could put paint on there, but it would just ruin the whole vibe of the piece.”

Morehouse finished the driftwood with an oil to preserve it, though the wood will fade over time and get lighter, providing more contrast with the shells. “The sign will evolve,” she said.

Morehouse said she took pictures of the sign at several times of day, and said it is easiest to read in the morning. “When the sun is shining on it, that is when the shells sparkle and stand out more.”

The borough received five proposals for the sign project. Residents John Hagen, Joe Parnell, Carrie Kinison and Tresham Gregg also submitted proposals.

A committee composed of Scott, Kielsmeier, harbormaster Phil Benner, Alaska Arts Confluence founder Carol Tuynman and former tourism director Tanya Carlson selected Morehouse’s proposal.

Tuynman said the readability issue did arise during committee discussions, though not just pertaining to Morehouse’s sign.

Though Tuynman is a big fan of the sign, she admitted there are some problems photographing it, particularly at certain times of day.