The city of St. Joseph is going to install new signs at 12 of its parks.
City Commissioners this week approved hiring Fairmont Sign Company of Detroit to fabricate and install the signs at a cost of $63,000. That’s the same company that made the wayfinding signs recently installed around the downtown.
Public Works Director Greg Grothous told commissioners Monday the city was pretty happy with those wayfinding signs, some of which were placed at parks, and so it reached out to the company about making similar signs for the other 12 parks. He said the old park signs are in need of replacement.
“The current signs are wood. They’re beginning to rot,” Grothous said. “We take them down in a rotation and we repaint them and we hold them together and put them back out. Some of them had old city logos. Some had the newer city logo. So, there’s a little bit of, they’re a little mix matched here and there.”
Commissioner Michael Sarola loved the signs, but he balked at the roughly $17,000 cost to install them.
“I think they did a great job with the design and what they’ve manufactured so far looks fantastic, really stands out,” Sarola said. “I’ve got no problem with the sign cost. It’s just the installation, but that’s what it is. That’s what it is. It’s not something you would feel comfortable doing, Greg?”
Grothous said his staff certainly could install the signs, but it’s a question of time. He said it would divert staff away from other duties that are essential to the city.
Commissioners approved the purchase, but Sarola asked if he can come by and watch when the signs are installed, likely next year.
