- November 19, 2024
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PALM COAST — The black granite “Palm Coast” signs, framed by coquina stone, provide an impressive gateway into the city at the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 100, at Old Kings Road and Palm Coast Parkway, and elsewhere. The cost to build more has been viewed as prohibitive, but one shortcut has provided an exception.
Most of the gateway signs are made of wood and are painted blue and white, including the “Palm Coast” sign at U.S. 1 and Palm Coast Parkway. When the landscaping was completed, there was no plan initially to build a granite-and-coquina sign. But city crews examined the situation and decided to try something: Rather than starting from scratch on a costly monument sign, what if we use the existing sign as a base and put a new façade on it?
“With in-house labor, it has a very low cost to use that existing sign,” Landscape Architect Bill Butler said. It didn’t make sense to do all that work on the landscaping and not attempt to upgrade the gateway, as well. “It’s like putting lipstick on an old sign.”
The cost for the sign is about $9,035, according to city spokeswoman Cindi Lane. That’s a savings of about 25%, she said, as opposed to starting from scratch. The sign isn’t complete just yet: Butler said there have been delays in getting the black granite, but it should be done in the next week or two.
So, what about the other blue-and-white signs throughout the city?
“The refurbishment of the sign at Palm Coast Parkway West and U.S. 1 is a unique situation — one that we won't likely face again,” she said.
In 2010, city staff presented a plan for upgrading the signs throughout the city for a price tag of $2 million. The concept was deemed a top priority for the City Council that year, but the project never progressed because of the cost.
However, one neighborhood sign was replaced at that time. A black-granite sign now sits at the entrance to Country Club Cove, at the corner of Club House and Caspar drives. For that sign, bids ranged from $11,480 to $14,650. Following a trend of doing more projects in-house, the city crews decided to build it themselves and ended up saving about 40% of the cost, bringing it down to about $7,000.
“The Country Club Cove sign is the best example of a true neighborhood sign and the kind of project that would be done with other neighborhood signs,” Lane wrote via email. “Those are what we have left to do, and there are dozens in the city.”
Butler reiterated that there is no plan for replacing other signs. He said, “We don’t want to get into a deal where, ‘Oh, you did their sign, now do ours.’”
The mayor says …
“I’m a big believer in curb appeal,” Mayor Jon Netts said in Jan. 30 interview. “It’s making your community look attractive to people who are driving through, considering moving here. The gateway signs — that is a priority. Obviously you can’t do them willy-nilly, all at once. There is a sequenced list, and your neighborhood signs are also going to be done.”
But, he said, “It’s a gradual process. It falls under that nice-to-have, not need-to-have. I personally see it as an economic-development incentive. If your community looks likes you’re proud of it, people become aware of that. Am I going to lobby to do this instead of a weir replacement? No, but as money becomes available, these are things to fit in where you can.”
For past stories on the Palm Coast City Council, CLICK HERE.
