AGENDA #12

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            Council Committee on Communications

Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt, Chair

Mayor pro tem Bill Strom

Council Member Laurin Easthom

SUBJECT:      Proposal for Public Information Signage Program

DATE:            April 10, 2006

INTRODUCTION

The Council Committee on Communications has discussed the need to demonstrate to Chapel Hillians certain Council initiatives that advance community values and ideals. Such initiatives include Land Use Planning and Capital Investments funded through Bond Referendums. The Committee proposes a Public Information Signage Program to achieve this aim.

DISCUSSION

This proposal would add the following new signs:

District Delineation Signs

District delineation signs would convey information which we believe reflects key policy initiatives of the Council. Examples of such initiatives include the formation of “Neighborhood Conservation Districts,” “Chapel Hill-Orange County Joint Planning Boundary,” “The Rural Buffer,” and “Watershed Protection District.” These signs would inform citizens of strategies designed to protect the unique character of older neighborhoods, environmentally sensitive resources, and would provide citizens with key information about their community.

Capital Improvement Project Signs

Citizen support of Bond Referendums for Capital Projects has been the key to the Council accomplishing many key goals of the Comprehensive Plan.  The Committee proposes that informational signs be posted at key access points or at highly visible locations of the Town’s completed capital projects. Site specific data could be represented including the finance arrangements which allowed for the successful implementation of the project. Candidate projects for signage include: greenways, open space acquisitions, Streetscape, facility renovations, sidewalk construction, parks enhancements, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

RECOMMENDATION

Refer this recommendation to the Manager for development of an implementation plan, which would include preliminary installations in calendar year 2006.