Williamston residents may see a digital message board behind the McCormick Park sign. The plans for the board, which were discussed on Monday at the City Council meeting, were met with enthusiastic responses from council members.
Earl Wolf, Dr. Adam Spina
Proposed location of the digital message board outside of McCormick Park from the informational packet at the meeting.The digital message board committee was represented at the meeting by superintendent Dr. Adam Spina and chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission Earl Wolf, who presented the motion to the council.
The sign would allow for public service messages, community events and school district announcements to be better communicated, said Spina.
“One of the many things I love about Williamston is that for a community of our size, there are always things going on. Every weekend, every week, there are always things going on,” said Spina during the meeting discussion on Monday.
This is not the first time that the Council heard about the project. Council member Brandon Lanyon said after the meeting that the original location presented to the Council would have been in close proximity to a crosswalk, and there were previous concerns about potential safety issues.
“They took in safety concerns so hopefully now we won’t have that same problem, where people are too distracted to see people crossing,” said Lanyon. “We obviously are very supportive of the idea of having the sign.”
Additional support was heard from Police Chief Jim Wolf when asked by the council about foot traffic and distracted driving concerns at the new location: “I have a good feeling about this one, I thought it was a great location, it’s going to get a lot of notice. I don’t think it’s so much going to distract a driver as much; I like it a lot.”
Publicly posted signs tend to accumulate along Putnam Street, said both Lanyon and Spina. Lanyon said the sign would be more efficient and productive than multiple poster boards along the street.
Earl Wolf, Dr. Adam S
Signs along Putnam Street; picture from the informational packet at the meeting.Now that the council has made its support known to the committee, the project can continue to move forward. “They’re going to get their funding together, and once that happens more will come into place. We will have to adopt policies on use, we will have to formally approve its placement and say that city property will own it, so there are a lot of actions that will take place later on down the road,” said Lanyon.
“It has definitely been a labor of love,” said Mayor Tammy Gilroy after the meeting. Gilroy also commented on the time and dedication that the committee has, and the extent of their research into this project. “I can’t wait to see how it turns out in the end.”
Madison Kort
City Council members listen to the discussion at the meeting on Monday, February 28.To listen to Kort’s conversation with Brandon Lanyon, click here.
For details about the February 28th City Council meeting, click here.