Big trouble in little Fenton - Citizens outraged!

[Erik Sine]

Un-welcoming reception: Downtown officials aren't happy with signs installed throughout Fenton

Published: Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 3:35 PM

FENTON, Michigan — The 19 welcome to Fenton signs installed last month in the city are getting a chilly reception from some members of the Downtown Development Authority, which paid for the signs.

At the DDA’s Tuesday meeting, some members said the signs’ lettering is too small and the decorative aluminum at the top of the sign is not to the specifications of the contract.

“I think going to an independent third party to look at these signs and tell us if they’re done properly is the right thing to do and then we solve the problem,” said DDA Chairman Craig Schmidt, about the signs' decorative top.

The signs, which cost $102,510 to manufacture and install, are part of an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 plan to install more than 60 signs throughout the city, welcoming motorists to Fenton and directing them to places such as the library, city hall and downtown.

The project is being funded by DDA monies.

Because of the decorative top concerns, the DDA is having its engineers read through the bid specifications to determine if the signs comply.

The DDA also will raise the concerns with the project’s landscape architecture firm, Grissim, Metz and Andriese Associates of Northville, which was paid to write the specs and oversee the installation. The DDA also held paying a bill from Grissim.

The issue of the decorative tops was brought to the DDA’s attention by a company that submitted an unsuccessful bid for the sign project.

Michael T. Burns, assistant city manager and DDA director, said the company told officials that the bid specified thick aluminum decorative tops, which were more costly than the fabricated, hollow aluminum, tops that were installed.

Burns said the DDA raised the issue of the decorative tops with its architect, but was told it meets the bid specifications.

DDA member Jim Saule, who chaired the project, said the text on the signs is too small for the signs’ size, making it difficult for motorists to read.

“To me the letter is too small for the size of the sign or the sign is too big for the size of the letter,” Saule said. “She (Sue Grissim) goofed up.”

Burns said the signs were taken down and fixed to make the text bigger when they were first put up. However, he said, he was told by the sign company, Universal Signs of Grand Rapids that was as big as the text could get on the sign.

DDA member Doran Kasper took issue that not all of the text was centered.

“If we’re going to have (an) issue with her on this other item, I think we should also have issue with her on the letter on the sign,” Saule said.

At Tuesday's meeting the DDA also agreed to install a sign in Freedom Park, identifying the park.

[geraldi]

This is what happens when too many people have input on a project. We sold a sign to a large church a few years back and there was differences of opinion on the sign and everything about it. The committee chose a design and signed off on it. As soon as it went up the other factions went over it with a fine tooth comb.

I don't know if they ever got over it or not. I got a check.

This could be a similar situation.

[fishing nut]

That print can be a lot larger and layed out better, someone got hosed, they are downrite ugly.

[geraldi]

Somebody approved it, maybe even demanded it. I've built ugly signs and tried to steer the customer in a better direction to no end but build what they ask for. I have no idea, I just hate to jump on another sign co without knowing what happened.