Agenda # 3a(1) | Request for a Banner Policy & Standard Banner Arms

AGENDA #3a(1)

To:	Mayor Kevin Foy & Members of the Chapel Hill Town Council Mr. Roger Stancil, Town Manager
From:	Liz Parham, Executive Director Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership
Date:	February 11, 2008
RE:	Request for a Banner Policy & Standard Banner Arms

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership is requesting that the Chapel Hill Town Council adopt a banner policy for downtown Chapel Hill to authorize our organization to manage banners as a community economic development tool to convey vitality. We have taken the liberty of drafting a proposed banner policy with initial review and input from town staff members, Kumar Neppalli and Richard Terrell, from our holiday decorations task force, and from the CHDP Board of Directors. The language of the policy is based on our experience of installing banners on a temporary basis last fall.

Purpose

The purpose of installing banners in a downtown district is to promote the downtown revitalization initiative and to quickly convey a positive visual message about the central business district and what it has to offer. Banners are a very simply way to convey to visitors that they are welcome and that the district is an exciting place to explore. They are often used as an early downtown revitalization tool to build a sense of community and excitement about the changes that are occurring downtown.

History

Back in the summer, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership worked with the Town to install temporary Welcome to Downtown Chapel Hill banners that were hung on the decorative light poles along Franklin Street from Henderson Street to Merritt Mill. The result was overwhelming success and enthusiasm for downtown revitalization and extensive interest in continuing to install banners in downtown.

Thirty banners lined Franklin Street and Columbia. Money for the banners was raised by the Friends of the Downtown and the banner brackets were leased pending a decision by the Town Council regarding a permanent banner policy.

Banners were installed just before the first UNC home football game and removed in late November when they were replaced with the new holiday decorations.

There is a history of banners being installed in Chapel Hill. Prior to the installation of the Welcome to Downtown Chapel Hill banners, they were installed in downtown in previous years for special events. Twenty-three of the existing light poles still had at least one banner arm installed either on the front or back side of the pole as of August, 2007.

Request

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership requests the following:

That Town Council adopts a policy that will allow our organization the ability to install banners as a community economic development tool for downtown.

That Town Council authorizes the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership as the managing authority of banners in downtown. CHDP is charged with leading and managing the revitalization of downtown and it seems appropriate that our organization coordinate such projects.

That Town Council authorizes the Town Engineering and Public Works Departments to assist in the installation of such banners as outlined in the banner policy.

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership requests that the Town Council authorize our organization to purchase a standard banner bracket. There was some discussion amongst town staff last fall regarding the need to purchase decorative banner brackets. The cost is approximately double the cost of a standard bracket. $6,000+ vs. $3,500 for a standard bracket. Standard banner brackets can be purchased in black if that is the desire of the Council. As noted in the attached photo, the bracket is a functional design. The eye is drawn to the colorful banner and the message that is conveyed, not the hardware that is used. Our organization feels that the increased cost far exceeds any additional visual benefit that we may receive from installing decorative brackets. If it is the desire to pursue a decorative bracket, then we would request that the Town of Chapel Hill bear any additional cost over and above the $3500 that we can allocate for brackets, perhaps through a streetscape allocation.

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership will store all banners and brackets when not in use.

Once policy is established, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership requests assistance from the Town staff to install the Welcome to Downtown Chapel Hill banners again for the spring and summer months, with the anticipation of purchasing new banners this fall.

Conclusion

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Board of Directors feels that design improvements such as banners and holiday decorations, although not directly economic development initiatives, are indirectly very important components of what makes downtowns successful. They convey a message to the public that that the town and community cares about downtown and is working collaboratively to improve the downtown district.

As always, thank you for the support that you offer our organization and downtown Chapel Hill, and thank you for your consideration regarding this request. I look forward to presenting this information to you for your review later this month.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at 967-9440 or [email protected].

Attachments