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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-16-1997 - 9b 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT MEETING DATE: Action Agenda Item b SUBJECT: Highway Signage to Welcome Visitors DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC HEARING: Yes—No_x Visitors Bureau BUDGET AMENDMENT NEEDED: Yes—No x ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Ted Abernathy(ext. 2325) County Map Showing Sign Locations TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough–732-8181 Proposed Sign Design Durham–699-7331 Mebane–(910)227-2031 Letter from Visitors Bureau Chapel Hill–967-9251 or 968-4501 Board Chairman,Lee Pavao PURPOSE: For the Board of Commissioners to consider a request from the Visitors Bureau to approve a design and site plan for highway signage welcoming visitors to Orange County. BACKGROUND: In June of 1996,Commissioner Bill Crowther,then a member of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors,proposed that the Visitors Bureau consider erecting highway signage at various locations throughout the county to welcome visitors. The Visitors Bureau engaged their advertising agency to research signage specifications established by the state's Department of Transportation(DOT)and to recommend an appropriate design that met these standards. The Bureau's Board of Directors unanimously approved the attached design as their recommendation to the Board of Commissioners. DOT specifications allow the use of a one-line slogan. The Visitors Bureau Board recommends using`You'll Be A Fan For Life,"the marketing slogan recently adopted for use in promoting the county to visitors. The metal signs will be green with white type,with the county seal presented in color(red,yellow,blue and black.) The interstate highway signs (3 proposed)measure 11 feet by 4 feet. The signs on secondary roads (11 proposed)will be 6 feet by 3 feet. The total cost for producing and installing the signs will likely be between$15,000 and$30,000,assuming prison labor would be utilized to make the signs and that DOT would provide both engineering and labor to design and install the steel supports for the signs. Final estimates can not be provided by DOT until a site plan outlining locations and specific sign design are submitted. The Visitors Bureau Board has approved an expenditure of$15,000 for this project. RECOMMENDATION: As the Board directs. - _ t 2 >M IMM 0 IMM t w 0 a LL LL 0 L) W w i i n Q a 0 t*°4 uq °4 Y � � Q O r � ti r i t w lip �.¢ Oka - Ii e 1 f l 1 December 10, 1997 NORTH CAROLINA Margaret Brown, Chair Orange County Board of Commissioners P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough,NC 27278 Dear Margaret: I'd like to ask the Board of Commissioners to consider a request from the Visitors Bureau to approve a design and site plan for highway signage welcoming visitors to Orange County. The attached sign design submitted with this document was prepared by the Bureau's advertising agency and unanimously approved by our board. The slogan"You'll Be a Fan Far Life" is one that our board has adopted to use in promoting the area to visitors. We believe it is broad enough to appeal to a wide audience without focusing on any one specific attribute or feature. The underlying message of the slogan also encourages repeat visitations. The site locations noted on the enclosed map would allow for signage at every major interstate and secondary road entrance to the county. These could be scaled back to fewer sites, depending on the final cost estimates from DOT. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Please call our Director, Shelly Green, or me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Lee Pavao Chairman cc: Steve Halkiotis Moses Carey, Jr. Bill Crowther Alice Gordon John Link 501 West Franklin Street,Suite 104•Chapel Hill,NC 27516•(919)968-2060•Fax(919)968-2062• Toll Free(888)968-2060 E-MAIL chvisbur @bellsouth.net •HOME PAGE http://www.chocvb.org