City of Camas removes error-riddled signs at Lacamas Creek trailhead

People who thrill at catching a misspelled word in a newspaper or finding typos on public signs would have been delighted to discover the city of Camas’ locator signs at the Lacamas Creek trailhead a few weeks ago. The trailhead signs, installed by the city of Camas more than three months ago, were riddled with spelling errors. “There were so many typos — I think we counted 10 to 15 misspellings,” Camas Parks and Recreation Director Chris Witkowski told the city’s parks commissioners during a July 23 meeting. “Once we discovered the spelling errors, I asked the operations team to take the signs down and they did — immediately,” said Witkowski, who started his job with the city in May after the signs had already been installed. The signs were meant to guide visitors hiking the beginner-friendly Lacamas Creek Trail or more moderate network of trails within Lacamas Park. They were placed near the city’s newly renovated Lacamas Creek trailhead parking lot off Northeast Third Avenue. But the information was overshadowed by the sign’s glaring errors: “trhough” instead of “through,” “teh” instead of “the,” and “bride” instead of “bridge,” for example. “It was embarrassing,” Witkowski said. “I don’t know how they got put up.” Bryan Rachal, Camas’ communications director, said city signs and public information typically goes through an editing process with multiple people — including Rachal — proofreading the copy before it goes to the printer. “I don’t know why it didn’t occur with this sign. It was just one of those things that happened,” Rachal said. Witkowski told parks commissioners he suspects his predecessor, former Camas parks director Trang Lam, had the document in draft form before she left last summer to take a job as the Port of Camas-Washougal’s CEO, and that somehow the draft form made its way past the city’s normal editing process. During Lam’s tenure, the city of Camas received $2.25 million in state grants to improve parks and trailheads, including a $500,000 grant to improve the Lacamas Creek trailhead by adding paved parking, a restroom, ADA-accessible pathways, picnic areas, signs, landscaping and improved stormwater systems. “I’m not blaming Trang,” Witkowski said, “but, anyhow, it was not good, and the signs have been taken down.” But a photo of one of the signs with its errors highlighted made its way to social media sites. “It came to the surface about two weeks after we took the signs down,” Witkowski said. Social media users on Facebook and Reddit have been poking fun at the city ever since. “Is the City of Camas so careless that basic spelling and grammar checks are skipped before spending your tax dollars?” an anonymous post on the Camas Matters Facebook group asked. Rachal said the city will replace the two signs at a cost of $195 each. Witkowski said he has implemented strict new rules regarding proofreading and all parks signs and literature will now pass by at least three people during the editing process. “It’s just checks and balances,” Rachal said. “We always want to have multiple sets of eyes on these things.” Rachal couldn’t immediately provide the total cost the city to remove and replace the signs. Kelly Moyer: 360-735-4674; kelly.moyer@columbian.com

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