Wildwood’s street banner pilot project extended

The Wildwood City Council on Feb. 22 voted to extend for another six months a pilot promotional program using street pole banners in Wildwood.

The development company E-404 LLC has used the banners since last summer to accentuate renewed options at the previously foreclosed on Meadows of Wildwood subdivision, a retirement community that a prior developer abandoned. The program also promoted the "live, work and play here" elements of Wildwood.

Banners currently only line the poles located on Generations Drive and New College Ave. E-404 fronted the approximately $18,000 required for the pilot project.

Questions about overall clutter, banner placements, maintenance and the appropriate entity to execute future program expansions stimulated debates about extending the concept to other parts of Wildwood's Town Center.

Earlier this month, the Wildwood City Council asked Wildwood Director of Planning and Parks Joe Vujnich to analyze and compare what had been approved for the program. First, E-404 was required to produce and pay for twice as many banners that promoted the city, compared to the number that promoted the subdivision.

“The total number of light standard poles and banners authorized by Council was 36,” Vujnich said. “A total of 23 of the 36 were intended to advertise Town Center and 13 were to advertise the Meadows."

He said the department’s inspection yielded 29 poles with banners: 19 advertising Town Center and 10 advertising the Meadows development.

"Fifteen poles remain empty, with other types of government-related signage, such as speed limits, on them,” Vujnich said. “(E-404) used two less poles than what was authorized. We found the execution to be consistent with what was described for the pilot program."

Extending the banner opportunity to Wildwood-based businesses came under fire when Vujnich led City Councilmembers through a proposed survey to be sent to local business owners in conjunction with an upcoming business appreciation event in March. Officials disagreed about whether and how to ask business owners about their awareness of, and interest in, the potential banner program. While business owners would be paying for the cost of any new banners, Wildwood would benefit from the approach of one banner purchased for the city with every banner purchased for a business.

City Councilmembers Rick Wise (ward 4) and Jean Vedvig (ward 4) said they viewed the original banners as a special step taken for an especially tough development situation.

"Putting the question out to businesses may be confusing,” Vedvig said. “I'm struggling with it because I think we have too many sandwich boards already."

Yet others said business owners already are aware.

"I think the concept is already out there, and that it would be helpful to get feedback from (business owners)," City Councilmember Bob Porter (ward 7) said.

City Councilmember Tammy Shea said she is concerned the city is setting itself up as a “quasi-Chamber of Commerce.”

“Is it appropriate for our Town Center?” Shea said. “Is it a role the city should be playing? I think we need to examine and answer those questions before prematurely putting it out to business owners.”

City Councilmember Holly Ferris (ward 8) asked if business owners could be given different choices on the survey of what marketing avenues they believe would help their businesses. City Councilmember David Sewell (ward 6) asked if the banners fit into the new urbanism concept that Wildwood is following. Vujnich said there are national examples of banner programs appropriately designed and executed in ways that demonstrate that they are assets. City Councilmember Ron James (ward 6) pointed to Kirkwood's banner program as a positive example. But other officials quipped that it only promotes city-sponsored events, not individual businesses.

Shea said she wonders if street pole banners are strategic to business development, and whether government should be subsidizing such efforts.

"What about churches?” Shea said. “This concept needs to go back to committee for further consideration."

The City Council eventually voted to eliminate the question regarding banners from the survey; however, City Councilmember Patricia Thibeault (ward 1) recommended that a suggestion box be made available at Wildwood Business Association meetings.

In extending the program, Porter asked that the density of banners be 50 percent or less of the total poles available.

"Fifty percent would be 18 poles,” City Councilmember Michele Bauer (ward 8) said. “We would be requiring a reduction of three sets of banners."

Bill Rombach, a representative of E-404, said they would be willing to reduce the number of banners.
Robert Gibbs, president of Michigan-based Gibbs Planning Group, Inc., told Wildwood officials that many cities and town centers implement a street graphics system.

"The details vary widely, and it would be difficult to give a blanket response for Wildwood (on how to execute the program),” Gibbs said. “I consider Wildwood's Town Center to be one of the best planned, designed, built and managed models for its size.”