Windermere to solicit design ideas for new town signage

Town Council members were displeased with town sign proposals presented at their May 9 meeting.

By Gabby Baquero
| 9:02 a.m. May 18, 2017

Southwest Orange
News

WINDERMERE –– After an hour of discussion regarding the design options presented for the town activity signage, Windermere Town Council members arrived at a single consensus: They didn’t like them.

To rectify their dissatisfaction with the proposals — which mostly focused on the signs’ size, font and color — the mayor and council decided to authorize the town manager to solicit five more proposals from design firms.

Currently, the town does not have a timeframe on when said designs will be done, selected, manufactured and installed, but Mayor Gary Bruhn said there will be a town workshop on May 23 to address the signage issue.

“The goal of it was to announce our meetings, and what we do out there right now is we put what they call a snipe sign on those little posts like a campaign sign,” Bruhn said. “And we said this is really tacky and ugly. We need to have signs in different areas that announce when our committees, Town Council and workshops are being held.”

IN OTHER NEWS

The Town Council unanimously approved Option B of the four town street name signage designs presented.
Out of the six bids received from contractors for the milling and resurfacing improvement project of Sunset Bay, the council authorized a contract with the lowest bidder, Middlesex Corporation. The contract amounted to $102,224.80.
The council approved the Manors sidewalk easement under the condition the Windermere town manager works out the details about the size of the wall to be constructed.
Windermere Town Manager Robert Smith announced the town is planning to add more parking spaces downtown — an issue which will be discussed at the special meeting May 23, along with the relocation of the town’s police department building.
Windermere Police Chief Ogden suggested cameras be installed at the Windermere Recreational Center because it has become a hotspot for vehicle and residential burglaries.

Additionally, the council authorized the removal of the sign located at the Sixth Avenue and Main Street roundabout and agreed to keep the sign located at Park Avenue and Main Street while it waits for the new designs.

Bruhn said the council has not decided whether to install the sign scheduled for Conroy Windermere Road at the west entrance.

“I can’t really describe what we’re looking for, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Bruhn said. “We’re just looking for something that fits the image of the town of Windermere and is the proper size and reflects our community.”

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected].