SIGN: Just don't move it

I see in Wednesday’s Cd’A Press that the city has determined that the big, community welcome sign which we designed and built for the service clubs in Coeur d’Alene in 1996 has been determined to not fit in the rebuilding of the Four Corners area near Memorial Field. Because the sign is thought to be in the way of the new improvements, the city has decided that the sign must be removed. The improvements that need this space are a bicycle trail and a parking lot.

I have spoken with both Mayor Widmyer and Parks Director Bill Greenwood regarding this matter. I expressed my convictions that this sign has been an important and noteworthy part of the city for 20 years. This sign is the property of hundreds of service club members who have a strong interest in its preservation. The sign is in excellent condition, and it also serves the function of welcoming all people to Coeur d’Alene at a gateway to the downtown area, and I feel that it should be regarded as a public asset, not a liability. I further suggested that there should be a way to realign the proposed trail and parking lot, and they both tentatively agreed and said that they would look into it.

Now I read that the sign will be removed and placed in storage, and that finding a new location and paying to reinstall the sign would not be the city’s responsibility but would need to be paid for by private citizens. This sign was erected with a valid Cd’A sign permit, and it is grandfathered in its present location. However, it would be out of compliance anywhere else within the city, except within 200 feet of I-90, because it is oversized according to the current sign code.

If the sign is removed and placed into storage under these conditions, I think it highly unlikely that it will ever be reconstructed. I think removing the sign and putting it into storage would create a lot of ill-will in the community.

I wrote to the mayor on Wednesday, after reading the article in The Press. He replied promptly and assured me that the city would not move the sign until they had a new location ready to receive it, and that the city would stand the cost of the move and reconstruction. This is very good news, but I still think that the better solution is to modify the master plan to include the sign in its present location. I have further asked the mayor and the parks director to explain just why this sign needs to be moved so badly.

I think Mayor Widmyer and Parks Director Greenwood have given great service to our city. I understand that they both have many different groups of people they must work with and that their jobs are not easy. Nevertheless, I think preserving this stately and appropriate sign in its present location is the right and best choice for the city as a whole, and I have urged them to reconsider their decision and to find a way to include this sign in the Four Corners master plan.

JEFF CONNAWAY

Silver Creek Signs

Coeur d’Alene