Council funds community sign program
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, April 11, 2007
POULSBO — It’s taken almost a decade, but when the Poulsbo City Council unanimously approved up to $24,000 Wednesday night for a community-wide sign program, it finally made a good on a promise to local business owners.
“When we were doing the College Market Place, we made a commitment to local businesses we would provide information to shoppers that there is more to Poulsbo than just the College Market Place,” Councilwoman Connie Lord said. “Tonight we honored that commitment.”
The estimated $24,000 is coming from the city’s hotel/motel tax fund reserves and the expenditure was recommended by the city’s lodging tax advisory committee.
Once the signs are in place, visitors will be directed to its various and distinct shopping districts, said Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce executive director Stuart Leidner.
“This is a joint effort between the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association and Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce with representatives from Poulsbo Village, College Market Place and Viking Avenue,” Mayor Kathryn Quade said.
The main objective of the group was to develop an overall plan for signs across the community, Leidner said.
“They wanted it to be extremely low maintenance and made from recycled materials if at all possible,” he said.
With that guidance, Leidner said he found an Ohio-based company that makes signs from recycled milk jugs, which is willing to customize signs to whatever its clients desire.
Once the manufacturer was identified, the committee was then asked for its top-10 list of directional signs it would like to see in the community, Leidner said.
“The No. 1 sign location was out on Highway 3, and we need to work with DOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) on that,” he said. “We have 13 signs we’re looking at right now.”
The initial 13 include a sign at the intersection of Finn Hill Road and Viking Avenue, two at the corner of Lindvig Way and Bond Road and one on State Route 305, south of Hostmark Street.
The main entrance signs will cost around $1,300 and the secondary signs come with an estimated $1,100 price tag, Leidner said.
Businesses will be able to purchase advertising on the bottom of the signs for $200 annually, he added. Those funds will be used to pay for sign maintenance and replacement.
“There will be a limited number of business placards available,” Leidner said. “I’ve already got people knocking on the door for them.”
Councilwoman Kimberlee Crowder expressed concern the city’s smaller businesses wouldn’t be able to afford the placards.
“We will work with smaller businesses as much as we can,” Leidner assured.
