A& P still looking for a sign

A& P still looking for a sign

Commissioners want the right idea for the right price

news@theeveningtimes.com

The familiar theme of new “welcome” signs for the City of West Memphis continued to highlight the agenda at the July meeting of the city’s Advertising and Promotion Commission.

Enthusiasm for the longin- the-works project was reinvigorated when the group received permission in March from the St. Francis Levee District to pursue placing welcome signs on top of the levees for inbound interstate motorists to see. The permission came with a condition.

“There are special footing requirements that the Levee Board has told us we must use,” said Jackson.

A grand reveal of a highdefinition $225,000 electronic sign at the last meeting fell flat over concerns for the durability of the technology and the concerns for maintenance.

Commissioner Troy Keeping cautioned the commission about the city’s experience, with the troublesome Gateway Lights project serving as a red flag.

Tourism Director Jim Jackson went back to the drawing board and delivered a more modest option. After his rendering of a monument-styled sign was bandied about, the commissioners asked for a consultant to develop a design and specifications aimed at creating a project to bid.

“Since the last meeting, I was asked specifically about the Cargill sign, which is on the levee, and we started to look at something similar,” said Jackson as he spread photos around the room for commissioners to see.

“We’d do something with our logo on it,” he said.

“This sign was installed for $30,000 and $3,000 for the special footing. This size sign would work on the levee.”

Jackson described two different fabrication processes starting with the Cargill model first.

“This is a metal sign that has been textured with the metal letters attached to the sign,” said Jackson. “This sign is lit from the ground up.”

“Another vendor does a process called push through,” said Jackson. A&P

Continued from Page 1

“These are plastic with the letters pushed through and the sign would be lit internally.”

The commission opted for a monument style, ground lit metal sign and to pursue a design consultant to develop specifications including size, estimated cost and render the look on the sign.

This is the same process the A& P used to develop technological specifications for the audio visual refurbishing in the civic center.

“I’ll get somebody to do that for us,” said Keeping.

Once the commissioners consider and approve the specifications, the welcome

sign project would be placed for bidding.

By John Rech