Electric Sign Authority
Gen Ed in Elec. Signs 101 +COMMITTEE FORMED TO REVIEW GARDEN CITY’S PROPOSED SIGN ORDINANCE
Garden City’s City Council has formed a committee to review the City’s proposed new sign code. To date, however, no meeting has been scheduled. The committee members are as follows:
Bob Deely – Husband of Irene Deely(Woman of Steel Gallery located on Chinden Boulevard)
Walt Lindgren – Architect involved with the Plan Implementation Committee (annexation of property behind Fred Meyer on Chinden Blvd) and mediation with Rivertrail Subdivision (mobile home park of Coffee St.)
Rod McDowell – Owner of West- Pak Equipment Company in Garden City, involved in Plan Implementation Committee, and resident
Robert Short – Young Electric Sign Company
Jeff Souza – City Council President
Pierce Rohn – Resident of Plantation Subdivision
Leslie Yoest – President of Garden City Chamber of Commerce and Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager Banner Bank
If you are new to the Garden City business community, browse through this site to read other posts related to the proposed new sign ordinance by clicking on the “Garden City” tag. And by all means, please convey your opinions to Leslie Yoest, as she is representing the business owners in the community. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates!
Wall Signs – Staying Within Budget
Virginia has been posting so diligently regarding the proposed modifications to the Garden City Sign Ordinance, I figured I had better give her a break. That and I need to catch up to her (smile). How about we talk about wall signs and some ideas you can possibly use to stay within your budget. Timely considering the “you know what”.
We are going to discuss 7 different types of wall signs and we will move from the least investment required (typically) to the highest. Please keep in mind that local ordinances, your landlord’s sign criteria, a planned sign program on file with a municipality, or specific overlay districts can all effectively limit your options in regard to the types of signage you may utilize.
Non illuminated letters: Cost effective because….they don’t light up. But hey, throw a spot light on them from above or below. Can be constructed from a variety of materials including: plex, aluminum, sheet metal, wood, or a variety of sign foams. May be flush mounted to the building or pegged off the wall to provide more dimension. The sign to your left is a high density 1.5″ sign foam which provides dimension without the need to peg off. Thicker materials and/or pegging will add to the needed investment dollar.
Single Face Illuminated Cabinet: This is the least expensive form of the internally illuminated sign family. You are basically dealing with a cabinet, a plex or lexan face (dependant on face size) and 800 m.a. fluorescent lamps inside to light the face. These signs are typically decorated in a translucent vinyl and the color of the lettering or design will light in that specific color in addition to being those colors in the daytime. However, opaque colors can also be used that will not light at night and this can be powerful if, for example, you just want the letters to pop out at night. While this sign is cost effective, it is probably the least popular sign among cities and many landlords.
April 15, 2009 Garden City, ID Planning & Zoning Meeting Scheduled
Mark Your Calendar
Mark your calendars for the next opportunity for business owners to voice their concerns and make their opinions known about Garden City’s proposed new sign ordinance. Wednesday evening, April 15, 2009, at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers at Garden City City Hall there will be a workshop meeting with the Planning & Zoning Commission. Planning and Zoning commissioners do not get to vote on the ordinance, but they are a great influencing factor. They will make their recommendations to the City Council.
If you cannot attend, go to the Garden City website by clicking here. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Sign Preference Survey” and complete this short survey. It took me about five minutes.
Garden City, ID, Chamber Meeting w/ Mayor John Evans re: Sign Code Draft
Tonight’s meeting started with Leslie Yoest, the Garden City Chamber of Commerce President, stating that the purpose of the meeting was to make a list of items in the proposed sign code that were the most important to business owners to present to the City Council on Monday evening, March 23, 5:00 pm meeting at Garden City Hall. It is nice to see the Chamber of Commerce be pro-active with business owners in the community. The chamber acted quickly to put the meeting together in order to affect the outcome of the business-killing, re-vamped sign ordinance.
Garden City Mayor, John Evans, gave a brief statement, citing that he is not at the forefront of the change in the sign ordinance. His take on it is that the City Council has brought this about and is pushing for the change. The Mayor mentioned several major points in the ordinance draft that he thought needed work and input from the Garden City business owners. He also suggested that it was very conceivable that the thirty, or so, business owners that were present at this meeting could collectively make a difference in the outcome of the proposed changes to the sign ordinance.
The Mayor stressed that there is no deadline in place for the vote and that he is very supportive of keeping businesses in Garden City in an advantageous position with regard to being able to advertise their location. He does not want Garden City businesses to loose their competitive edge to neighboring cities or businesses that have much larger signs. The Mayor is very aware that under the proposed new sign code, businesses in Garden city may be at a disadvantage with the number if signs allowed and the size of the signs.
The group of business owners and sign company representatives broke out into three groups after the Mayor spoke, with a Chamber representative within each group. The discussion went around the table, with each business owner speaking about their individual concerns with the new sign code draft. Electronic Message Centers (EMC’s) had been previously stricken from the types of signs allowed in the city. It is safe to say that Garden City business owners want to see them back. The proposed maximum size of size of letters on wall signs, maximum height of free-standing signs, and having to turm off illuminated signs after business hours in certain proposed zones were also topics of great concern.
Garden City, ID, Proposing New Drastically Limited Sign Ordinance
If you own or lease retail, industrial or commercial property in the city of Garden City, ID, I strongly urge you to read the draft of the proposed new sign ordinance (email me for a copy, as the city doesn’t seem to have one on their website) and to attend one of the upcoming public meetings to voice your opinion about it. (See meeting list below) This is not a game! All business people in Garden City need your help! Please keep reading.
Myself, nor any of my colleagues, have ever seen the likes of such a complete revamp of a city’s sign code that has been blatantly revealed as so anti-business. I asked one of the city planners, what prompted such a drastic overhaul of the sign code at last week’s “public workshop,” and was told it was all due to “health and safety” issues. Garden City residents , apparently complained about sign lights shining in their windows at night and he said there have been some calls about electronic message centers. There are ways to correct those problems without completely overhauling the entire sign ordinance and diminishing the amount and size of signs that businesses can have. The most urgent matter is that you, as concerned business owners, commercial leasing agents, property owners and tenants in industrial, commercial or retail spaces, get involved and speak out now!
Here are some of the finer points (sarcastic) of the ordinance that scream out as bad for business, illegal, and completely idiotic:
1. Control content of copy on signs by telling you what color, style of letter, and materials need to be used. (Illegal)
2. In certain zones, businesses will be required to turn off their electric signs at night or when closed for business. (All those folks who spent good money for an illuminated sign are going to be real happy with this! Not to mention that lighted signs help to keep crime at bay!
Read the rest of this entry »
The Sign Permitting Process
permitboulder.com
Permitting your new sign is the final step prior to placing it in production. It is a critical, and sometimes painful, process. Which is why you have us (smile). Prior to actually going to the local municipality, it is often necessary to obtain landlord or property owner approvals. This can range from a simple “Looks good to me” all the way to the need for an affidavit of legal interest and/or a copy of the property deed. This requirement, also, will often vary by government entity.
A good sign professional will have done his or her homework prior to even drawing up a sign for your review and approval. This homework includes understanding signage allowances based on the zone your business will reside in, any sign criteria that may have been established by the landlord and which also may or may not be on file with the city or county, and any previous actions that may have been taken regarding signage for the development that you are setting up shop in. Most lease documents that you will receive will at least have a copy of the landlord’s sign criteria (often called CC & R’s). Finally, your representative should also be aware if your property falls within any overlay districts such as historic or, in the case of downtown Boise, CCDC. These districts may have a large say in whether or not your sign will be approved and permitted. Read the rest of this entry »
36th St. Garden Plaza (A Collaborative Sign Project)
36th St. Garden Plaza Projecting (Flag-style) sign
With a project as all encompassing as the beautiful and diverse 36th St. Garden Plaza, sometimes it makes sense(dollars and cents too!) to collaborate with the client to create a variety of uniquely-their-own signs to market their property/business. After meeting with Brenda Brien, the manager of the 36th St. Garden Center and learning what her and the owner’s vision for the business and property were, I realized that the project was much grander than I had anticipated. At the time, the Garden Center and two retail buildings were the only buildings on the site. Little did I know that there were plans for a three-story office building, town-homes, live/work spaces and a bistro. I was excited, to say the least! The buildings were beautiful and a new restaurant with savvy cuisine was needed in this area of Boise.
LED ILLUMINATION 101
Cheap Import (left) - GE Tetra Max (right)
Recently I was hired to replace inferior LED’s at eight cell phone store locations to the tune of $44,000! Yikes!. Their existing LED’s were only two years old. They had had problems with them from the day they were installed. The company that sold and installed them would not replace them and the manufacturer of the LED’s was out of business. (Hmmmm! I thought.) So, I called the local rep on behalf of my client just to be certain. Low and behold, it was true.
My installers were so shocked by the poor quality and the size of the existing LED modules (four small lights) compared to our GE modules (two much brighter LED’s,) that they decided to snap a picture so I could show my client the difference. It’s the old adage that comes to “light“(pun intended!) “You get what you pay for.”
The sad part is that most of my clients don’t have any idea that there is a quality difference from one LED manufacturer to another. GE LED’s are not the cheapest available, but they are the best quality at a reasonable price. At Lytle Signs, we install only GE product. Why? Because we know that GE takes special steps to insure excellent quality and we can count on GE to stand behind their product if there is an issue (a rare occasion!)
So what are LED’s? LED stands for Light-emitting diodes. Invented in the 1960’s by GE scientists, LED’s are compound semiconductor devices that convert electricity to light. LED’s have fast switching capabilities, low power consumption and long life that is measured in years. You will find LED’s being used in cell phone displays, full motion video, traffic signals, accent lighting on buildings and in homes, and in illuminated signage.
Are LED’s reliable? They are if you insist on the best quality. Tetra Max, for instance, has a long-life of up to 50,000 hours. (That equals 17 years if you run your sign 8 hours a day.)
What kind of energy do LED’s use? You can expect maximum energy savings with quality LED’s; up to 80% savings over neon and 52% over cheaper, lower quality LED systems.
Are LED’s environmentally friendly? Absolutely! Unlike neon, LED’s contain no lead, mercury or glass, making handling and disposal less of an impact.
What colors are available in LED’s? Currently LED for channel letters and other interior sign applications are available in red, blue, white, warm white and green. LED’s for monochromatic electronic message centers and gas signs are available in red, amber, white, blue and green. Electronic message centers are available in full color LED also.
Should I choose LED’s or neon? Aside from LED’s eco- friendly characteristics mentioned above, here are some other characteristics of LED’s to consider:
1. Cool colors (blue, green, etc) in neon will dim somewhat in colder weather. (see Craig’s post, “The Anatomy of Neon,” for a full explanation of this phenomenon.) LED’s will continue to burn brilliant uniform light in all weather conditions.
2. Neon will require some maintenance usually near year five or six. LED’s will require very little maintenance for several years beyond year five or six, depending on how many hours a day you run them.
3. Although LED’s are usually more expensive in up-front cost, the energy savings of up to 80% over neon will offset this increased cost.
4. There are no burned out letters or parts of a sign without illumination where LED’s are installed as there can be with neon when it needs repair. LED’s will dim at a slow rate when they are at the end of their life and are very easy to replace on site.
With the continued development of new LED lighting solutions such as GE Tetra Mini (for smaller spaces where neon or Tetra Max cannot fit) and Tetra Contour (known as “border tubing” and mimics neon to some degree,) LED’s have a very bright future. LED growth trajectory is climbing off the charts.
As Craig says, “Nothing excites like neon.” There are many applications in signs for both LED’s and neon. Channel letters and reverse pan channel letters are just a couple. It is best to consult a reputable sales consultant to discuss your options.
And remember, if you’ve received two or more quotes from sign companies and one of the quotes is far less than the other(s), ask to see a sample of the LED’s. Ask what brand they are installing and where the LED’s are manufactured. Ask about the warranty and research the company. You want to know if the company is going to be around if you have a problem down the road.
For more insightful information, feel free to contact me by leaving a comment or sending me an email.
The Anatomy Of Neon
tutorialjungle.com
Always remember….. nothing creates excitement like neon. Repeat after me…nothing creates (smile). Neon lighting, while still widely used today, is older than dirt which is why Virginia asked me to write about it (smile). With the advent of l.e.d. lighting use in signage, neon is playing less and less of a role in our industry. It is becoming a lost art. However, there are some things that l.e.d. will not yet do and we will also discuss those. This information is coming from a sign salesman. Please keep that in mind. I have never attempted, and never will attempt, to bend glass (smile).
And, neon has been around a long long time. This is with good reason. It’s reliable and, repeat after me……….nothing creates (smile). Facts you should know about neon………….. Read the rest of this entry »
Virginia
Craig M. Jamieson