Electronic signs at town’s four points of entry seen as cost-prohibitive

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Back on Aug. 18, Mayor Prokop moved that council direct administration to investigate potential ‘Welcome to Taber’ electronic sign locations for all four entrances and exits at the Town limits. Administration returned on Nov. 10 after reviewing the site options for four double sided advertising boards and confirmed that space is available near the current signs at each of the four highway entrances on Highways 3 and 36. The estimated cost, however, was sky high.

 The highway locations would require approval from Alberta Transportation and each site would require permanent power transformed to the appropriate sign voltage and data connectivity via hard line or Wi-Fi, the agenda said.

 Chris Eagan, director of planning, engineering, and public works, told council the probable cost to install the four signs would be $960,000. In addition, the impact to the operational budget would include a new position to oversee governance issues, design standards for content, and update/maintain the sign content. A contracted service for sign maintenance due to specialized knowledge and parts/materials requirements would also be required. Administration estimated those costs at roughly $150,000 per year.

 Administration also recommended upgrading the electronic sign at the Community Centre if this initiative were to be approved to avoid duplicate operational costs in maintaining content. The addition of two signs at the Civic Centre would add $240,000 in capital costs and no extra operational costs. Together the signs would cost $1.2M plus the $150K for the new position and services.

 “That’s a big job and a big bill,” Mayor Prokop said before explaining why he had initiated the inquiry. The Summer Games and Taber Shooting Foundation’s host role for the Canadian ISPC shoot brought in 1,700 participants for the Games and 700 for IPSC, but weren’t necessarily public knowledge.

 “The discussions out in the community were that many people didn’t know either one of them were going on, which is almost hard to fathom in some ways,” Prokop said. He said that between the Town’s social media, the Taber Times, and other mediums the information was delivered many times, but not received by all. The idea for an electronic sign board was seen as a good option for fixing that communication gap.

 “However, the bill is large,” he said again after hearing the administration’s report. “Is there the possibility of some reduced option for the cost?”

 “When you’re driving through communities, now I know why it’s just a wooden sign and not an electronic billboard,” Coun. Sorensen said with a chuckle. “Obviously this digital sign is quite a costly thing, and unless we get some type of grant or something, I don’t know if it’s feasible.”

 Coun. Firth went further. She said that while the Summer Games was a Town of Taber event, IPSC was not. Though the shooting federation is welcome to use the Community Centre’s electronic sign, Firth thought the Town should leave the advertising for such events to the private organizers. She called the proposal “cost-prohibitive” and said she would not support it in its current iteration.

 Coun. Sparks was not in favour of it either. “This $1.2 million for five signs is more than it cost to build the Aquafun Centre when it was originally built,” he said.

 Prokop put Communications Manager Meghan Brennan on the spot, asking for her opinion on the value of the signs and what other methods could be used to reach residents.

 She stepped up and said, “I would say this is a solution where we haven’t identified the problem. There is a level of apathy that I don’t think we can address with signage or more social media. I don’t think this is a good solution, and I can say with certainty…that I could count on one hand – half the hand – how many communicators would recommend this.”

 She was referring to her contacts within Alberta Municipal Communicators Group. She reiterated that it would be both cost- and staff-prohibitive. “It’s not going to get you what you want. I think there are better ways to get the community knowledgeable and involved, and in my professional opinion, I do not believe that this is it.”

 Sparks made the motion to receive the administration’s response as information and council approved it unanimously, leaving little doubt about the general consensus on electronic signs.