Signs of the Times - June 2012 - (Page 96)

EDITORIALLY SPEAKING By Wade Swormstedt “Signage is just one of the many commercial activities under attack by NIMBYs [not in my backyard].” The Double Standard Cities (and states) are content to distinguish public and private enterprise. As parents, routine. many condemn certain actions, I think of us have done it. For Congress, it’s We/it yet pursue them ourselves. And for many cities, granting themselves de-facto sign variances would be comical – if not so tragic. I recall Richard Schwab being in charge of determining the minimum sizes of letters for highway signs in his position as Federal Highway Administration program manager for research on highway visibility and nightdriving safety. Later in 1998, he conducted a study entitled “Safety and Human Factors: Design Considerations for On-Premise Signs.” In contrast to the notion of signs as distracting, Schwab wrote: “Instead, the culprit is inadequate sign size or lighting, or inappropriate placement, or a combination of these factors.” Logical stuff. If highway signs need certain criteria to be seen, then the same holds true for commercial signs. Yet somehow, many officials still adhere to the idea that signs are inherently distracting, uh, unless they serve the government. Among our outdoor brethren, Maine and Vermont don’t allow billboards, but that doesn’t prevent them from advertising promotional state messages on out-ofstate out-of-home. When I contacted the Outdoor Adv. Assn. of America, its communications director, Nicole Hayes, sent me some images, such as a billboard in Connecticut for the Vermont State Fair, and a transit shelter for VisitMaine.com in Washington, DC. Can we safely assume the state fair and “visit” entities are part of the same state governments that ban the billboards? I recall Harry C. Alford, president and CEO of the Black National Chamber of Commerce, stating at the last National Research & Education Conference: “Signage is just one of the many commercial activities under attack by NIMBYs [not in my backyard].” Oh, by the way, Maine has added a sign under its I-95 Welcome sign that says “Open for Business.” When I posted a discussion on ST’s LinkedIn site about such double standards, I received significant response and, unfortunately, confirmation. Shawn Green (Green Sign Co., Greensburg, IN) wrote that his small town installed a “CITY OF GREENSBURG” main entry sign, more than 300 sq. ft. and approximately 10 ft. tall, and wayfinding signs within the right of way. “During this same time, the city reconfigured the sign ordinance to minimize the existing square-foot allowance, while pushing for all signs to be 6 ft. tall.” Kenneth Soday (Projecx Group, Inc., Casselberry, FL) sees the same mentality in a much larger municipality, Orlando: “They will not allow business owners to have EMCs, but they just installed the largest one in Central 96 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / JUNE 2012 / www.signweb.com Florida on the new [Amway Center] for the [NBA’s] Magic, as well as one on the parking garage, and several at street level. The big one is 300 ft. from the busiest section of I-4 through Orlando. They created an Entertainment District in order to rationalize their reasons for allowing it. During a meeting for another project, I asked them about their objection to allowing them throughout the city. The response was aesthetics and safety.” David Hickey, ISA’s VP of government relations, sees this dichotomy often: “On the one hand, cities restrict commercial EMCs as traffic hazards and aesthetic eyesores, while simultaneously and freely using digital signs to communicate to drivers roadside and promote community activities [and, in some cases, advertise] at public buildings like civic centers, auditoriums, stadiums, even hospitals and law enforcement facilities. Some municipalities are even using digital signage on city buses!” Except in Longport, NY. There, a judge jailed an EMC owner because his “sign illuminated an upcoming fundraiser for Niagara County Sheriff’s deputy Allen Gerhardt, who lost both legs in an auto accident,” according to a news item posted on WIVP.com (Channel 4). The town has a 10-minute, hold-time requirement, which sign owner David Mongielo had previously violated. Nonetheless . . . The sign industry shouldn’t need to justify its products, but omnipresent circumstances require it. Texas Sign Assn. advocate Lonnie Stabler (Bryan, TX) advises, “It is important to dialogue with community leaders and municipal staff on the factual data that is available to support reasonable jurisdictional oversight. This might include running for public office, volunteering for a city committee, and attending meetings of council and committees, as well as visiting and getting to know the staff and elected officials on a non-confrontational basis, and not just when there is a permit issue.” But perhaps there is hope. Wayne Gibson, R&W Gibson Promo Products (Burlington, the aforementioned VT), observed: “I suggested that my home city get a sign permit for every new municipal sign, in other words play by the same rules as the business owners play by. They did.” n http://www.WIVP.com http://www.VisitMaine.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - June 2012

Signs of the Times - June 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review
Technology Review
Sign Museum News
New Products
Announcing the Mutoh-sponsored 6th annual Vehicle Graphics Contest
They dwell well
A splash from the past
Digital Print Updates
The Value of Signs
Strength by Association
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - June 2012