Mayor James Layton took his last turn wielding the gavel Dec. 16 and was honored by the City Council with a clock and a standing ovation by the audience. However, it was an award that he and his replacement, outgoing City Council member Jerry W. Stevenson, received in the prior council work meeting that stole the show.

Council member Lyndia Graham, re-elected to a second term, had found the perfect gift for the senior elected city officials - Freedom Boulevard signs.On July 2, 1991, the Utah Department of Transportation jumped the gun and erected new Freedom signs on 400 West (Hill Road), almost two weeks prior to a public hearing on the street renaming. Then, on July 16, the council narrowly voted down the new name proposal and UDOT had to take the signs down. The controversial signs have been a standing council joke ever since.

Graham said she tracked down two of the original Freedom Boulevard signs with the help of Alex Jensen, city manager, at a UDOT storage shed.

Various council and city staff members also autographed the signs for Layton and Stevenson.

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"I'd like to carry that around, but it won't fit in my planner," Stevenson joked.

Layton said he was looking for a sign that said something more like "Celestial Drive."

Other council members also joked about the signs.

"If we ever decide to change the streets back, we'll have to come get them," council member Brent Allen teased.

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