Kiosks Helping Rid Walton County Roadsides of Clutter
Author: By Todd DeFeo
Publication: Athens Banner-Herald
Date: October 4, 2005

Some years ago, Walton County officials wanted to solve the problem that plagues most fast-growing counties – the clutter of cheap signs that try to capture motorists’ attention at important crossroads.

Even though the signs are not allowed under Walton County codes, it didn’t stop them from proliferating, Walton County Zoning Administrator Charna Parker said. And, as soon as County Officials removed them, more popped up in their place.

So, when representatives from Centennial, CO-based National Sign Plazas approached Walton County with a way top alleviate the cluttering, officials jumped at the chance.

National Sign Plazas now administers Walton County’s kiosk program, stand-alone sign sites where developers or homebuilders can lease a rectangular shaped sign that is mounted on black iron arches along certain roads. And now, the rights-of-way aren’t cluttered.

“At first we had a lot of friction about it,” Parker said. “Now, the real-estate agents and developers seem to like it. They know their sign is going to be there. They don’t have to pay somebody to place them out every weekend.”

National Sign Plazas has similar programs in 4 counties and 3 cities in Georgia, including Statham, said Scott Tripp,National Sign Plazas’ regional manager. The Eastern Barrow County city of about 2,400, has had the program in place for about 6 months. “The idea is to spark a roadside beautification initiative’” Tripp said.

Even as Jackson County officials ponder implementing such a program, Barrow County is inching toward implementing its own kiosk program, said Shannon Navarre, director of Keep Barrow Beautiful. “That’s my ultimate goal,” Navarre said.

Barrow County routinely picks up about 40 signs every 2 weeks, sometimes more, such as during a 3 hour sign sweep when workers removed 110 signs. “That’s not even a drop in the bucket as far as what’s out there,” Navarre said.

“They are just eyesores and they just multiply themselves,” she said of the cheap signs, sometimes called bootleg signs. “They seem to just grow like mushrooms. …It’s almost like a feeding frenzy of right-of-way space.”

Walton County has about 70 sign panels on their kiosks, Parker said, which have stopped the signs developers place along the right-of-way.” It’s been good so far,” Parker said. “We’re constantly working (with National Sign Plazas) on keeping it that way.”
Beyond just reducing roadside clutter, the County has also made $24,380 from the program since January of 2004.

“It’s well maintained, it’s updated, it’s clean,” Navarre said of the kiosks. “It truly serves a good community purpose, and it upholds the quality of life for a community.”

Real Estate Sign Clutter Going Away
Author: Winston Jones
Publication: Douglas County Sentinel
Date: September 9, 2005

Douglas County residents can soon say “good-bye” to the clutter of real estate signs that sprout up every weekend near busy highway intersections. The County Board of Commissioners (BOC) last Tuesday took the first step in moving toward a regulated, uniform real estate sign display format, similar to what other counties are using.

The BOC approved a contract with National Sign Plazas, a company which provides this type of signage for many municipalities. National Sign Plazas was picked as the winning bidder by a purchasing committee that included Eric Linton, County Development Services Director; Chris Collier, Home Builders Association of Douglas County President; and Diane Connors, County Purchasing Director.

The next step will be a revision of the County Ordinance to specify dimensions and regulations governing the signs. This will likely come at the November or December BOC session.

“We’ll be working with the subdivisions to come up with an attractive structure that will provide uniform signage throughout the County,” Linton said. “We’ll map where to put the signs.” Linton said that the builders and developers will bear the cost of the signs since they will lease panels from National Sign Plazas.

Collier said the building community has been supportive of the sign ordinance. The huge number of signs at the busiest intersections often makes it difficult for motorists to read any of them, he noted. “The standardization of these signs will provide a level playing field for all parties,” Collier said.

The City of Pearland Joins NSP in the Fight Against Illegal Signage

In an ongoing fight to clean up their roadsides and do away with illegal signage, the City of Pearland has contracted with National Sign Plazas (NSP) to implement a uniform directional sign program. After long deliberation, the City Council approved NSP, who manages more then 20 similar programs nationally, as the winning bidder.

NSP will work with the homebuilders and developers within the City of Pearland in order to drive their participation in Pearland’s new venture. Assistant City Manager Nick Finan and Councilman Kevin Cole both offered up the possibility that, while participation is not mandatory, homebuilders placing illegal signage within the City’s right-of-way will be fined.

As part of the new Uniform Development Code, the Sign Plaza program will initially be targeted at the residential development signs, but plans exist to expand the program to incorporate Park signage as well as municipal way-finding. Paul Cesak, NSP’s government relations officer for the State of Texas said, “We are very excited about these opportunities to help the City (of Pearland) manage their right-of-way. We are the pioneers in this industry and have more then 10 years experience handling these programs.”

With a great deal of homebuilder support nationally and 5 similar programs in Texas already, NSP does not anticipate any set backs as they ramp this program in the City of Pearland. “We are finding more and more support for our programs every day,” said Paul Cesak. “We anticipate having more then 15 contracts in the State of Texas by this time next year.”