Syracuse Council Sees Signage Designs for Tech Park
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Kathy [email protected]
The proposed signs, which will be placed at the two entrances, will be lighted, two by solar power and one by standard electrical power. The signs will cost up to $55,000 total, which will come out of the Economic Development Adminstration funds for the park.
One of the sign designs is a stylized sailboat with the sail soaring to 21 feet. A second design shows another tall structure with a masonry facade and wording at the top. The third, more traditional, is a rectangular one that stands about 6 feet high, and would be lighted with electrical power.
Placement of the solar panels took up most of the council’s discussion, with members agreeing that they should be situated in the most efficient location without distracting from the signs themselves. Signs will be at the two entrances, U.S. 6 and Ind. 13.
“The big thing is batteries and storage,” said Town Manager Henry DeJulia, but still pressing for the use of solar panels, he added, “Using technology in our technology park tells a lot about what we want to do there.”
Addressing the cost of the solar panels, he advised that electricity charges would run “for life” at a cost of around $1,200 a year. He corrected that timeframe after council pointed out that, hopefully, businesses located there would take over expenses. “But we could be stuck for five years,” he said.
Councilman Larry Siegel asked if the lettering would be visible from a distance, adding that he learned from past projects that there are standards for fonts and their size. Councilwoman Kathy Beer wanted to know the materials used for the signs, but Konarski was not able to answer either question. He will find out more information to be presented next month.
The council will decide on a design, and then Konarski will submit that to EDA for approval. The design will also have to be approved by Elkhart County commissioners, but since they allow a height up to 40 feet, there should be no problem with approval.
In other financial matters, council approved appropriations of $165,000 from the cumulative storm sewer fund for improvements in the Brooklyn Street storm sewer project. That project will extend lines to pick up storm water from the new Polywood building addition. They also approved appropriating $47,750 from that same fund to pay for utility department equipment approved last month.
One financial matter brought a few comments when Konarski asked for release of most of the retainage for H&G Underground Utilities. A bit of work remains to be finished at the technology park, so council was a little hesitant paying with work still to be done.
Town Clerk Julie Kline reassured them, stating that the surety company asks periodically if there are any problems, so “if (H&G) don’t do something in a timely manner, they’ll hear about it.”
Council also approved a $2,915.40 contract with Air Marking Company for road striping.
In one last piece of business, council said they were seeking a town resident to sit on the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals. Anyone interested should contact the town manager or clerk.[[In-content Ad]]
The proposed signs, which will be placed at the two entrances, will be lighted, two by solar power and one by standard electrical power. The signs will cost up to $55,000 total, which will come out of the Economic Development Adminstration funds for the park.
One of the sign designs is a stylized sailboat with the sail soaring to 21 feet. A second design shows another tall structure with a masonry facade and wording at the top. The third, more traditional, is a rectangular one that stands about 6 feet high, and would be lighted with electrical power.
Placement of the solar panels took up most of the council’s discussion, with members agreeing that they should be situated in the most efficient location without distracting from the signs themselves. Signs will be at the two entrances, U.S. 6 and Ind. 13.
“The big thing is batteries and storage,” said Town Manager Henry DeJulia, but still pressing for the use of solar panels, he added, “Using technology in our technology park tells a lot about what we want to do there.”
Addressing the cost of the solar panels, he advised that electricity charges would run “for life” at a cost of around $1,200 a year. He corrected that timeframe after council pointed out that, hopefully, businesses located there would take over expenses. “But we could be stuck for five years,” he said.
Councilman Larry Siegel asked if the lettering would be visible from a distance, adding that he learned from past projects that there are standards for fonts and their size. Councilwoman Kathy Beer wanted to know the materials used for the signs, but Konarski was not able to answer either question. He will find out more information to be presented next month.
The council will decide on a design, and then Konarski will submit that to EDA for approval. The design will also have to be approved by Elkhart County commissioners, but since they allow a height up to 40 feet, there should be no problem with approval.
In other financial matters, council approved appropriations of $165,000 from the cumulative storm sewer fund for improvements in the Brooklyn Street storm sewer project. That project will extend lines to pick up storm water from the new Polywood building addition. They also approved appropriating $47,750 from that same fund to pay for utility department equipment approved last month.
One financial matter brought a few comments when Konarski asked for release of most of the retainage for H&G Underground Utilities. A bit of work remains to be finished at the technology park, so council was a little hesitant paying with work still to be done.
Town Clerk Julie Kline reassured them, stating that the surety company asks periodically if there are any problems, so “if (H&G) don’t do something in a timely manner, they’ll hear about it.”
Council also approved a $2,915.40 contract with Air Marking Company for road striping.
In one last piece of business, council said they were seeking a town resident to sit on the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals. Anyone interested should contact the town manager or clerk.[[In-content Ad]]
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