By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Some Bowling Green citizens want to give the city a message – they don’t like the new message sign downtown.
When a story was posted last week about new electronic signs being used by the city to communicate with residents, it created quite a stir of reactions on Facebook.
Two electronic message signs have been erected, with one in front of the police station on West Wooster Street and the other by the public works area on East Poe Road. The negative comments were all aimed at the sign downtown in front of the police station.
The sign was called ugly, a waste of money, distracting to drivers and detracting from the historic downtown.
“So much for our quaint town,” one person wrote. “It really contrasts with the look of our downtown area. Did anyone consider aesthetics when this was approved,” another wrote.
Some questioned the expense, with each sign costing $10,250, suggesting that the money would be better spent on paving or patrolling the city’s streets.
“To me, the thing just doesn’t go with the style of that area downtown,” said resident and Realtor Andy Newlove.
“We’ve got this vibrant downtown,” and then this sign goes up that looks like it ought to be selling hamburgers, he said. “To just throw that thing up there? It doesn’t look nice. Was it discussed?”
Newlove said the city has worked to improve signage downtown and get rid of unattractive signs. While the new CVS also has an electronic message board, “at least that’s a private business.”
The new LED signs will alert residents about such items as traffic changes for construction or special events in the community, and about seasonal services such as brush pickup. The sign in front of the police station may also make public service announcements on buckling up and not drinking and driving.
The purpose of the signs was to better communicate with city residents, said Joe Fawcett, assistant municipal administrator.
“The city has heard consistently from citizens and public officials that communication is very important,” Fawcett said Monday.
So the signs were put in the city’s 2016 budget, and will replace the banners with printed safety reminders for drivers.
“We view it as an addition to the weekly emails that go out to the city,” Fawcett said. “We know that some people don’t use social media.” So it was believed the electronic signs would provide timely reminders about traffic closures or detours, and brush or heavy trash pickup.
The sign in front of the police station was paid for through the law enforcement trust fund, which includes such items as property seizures by the police. The sign in front of public works came from the city’s general fund.
Fawcett said landscaping will be added near the signs. “I’m sure that will improve the aesthetics of it,” he said.
Though the majority of the Facebook comments about the signs were negative, there were a couple citizens who approved of the electronic communication.
“Anything that prevents me from missing large trash or brush pickup is fine by me,” one wrote.
“A good way to share up to date info and a lot better than a buckle up sign that stays in place for months,” another wrote.
But to most of the people typing in their objections, it wasn’t the messages that bothered them. It was the location.
“Ugly and ‘in your face’ sign,” one person wrote. “What were they thinking?”
