New big blue signs in SoWal

[Jdarg]

http://www.waltonsun.com/news/signs_726___article.html/tdc_council.html

Article about the meeting in The Sun.

Also included as part of the article- our favorite measuring tool- THE POLL!!! Everybody go vote!

(Spoiler: most people dislike the signs What a shocker!)

 

[Smiling JOe]

I think that Yucarenow, forgot that Dave states that he actually created the signs which were already in place. In my six years of living here, I have never once heard a negative comment about the signs which were removed to be replaced by the $260,000 worth of BIG BLUE signs, which many people say are "horrid." Pehaps Mr Boone wasn't here a few months ago when the other signs were here. If he moved from a big city like Atlanta, he is probably used to seeing similar signs for the bus stop or MARTA, so they don't stand out. Maybe he is just trying to stir the pudding for an article. I noticed that even though this is one of the hottest buttons in town right now, last week's Walton Sun had no story on the contraversy, only a cartoon of the big signs. Seems to me that they could sell more ads if they had more readers, and big stories gets readers. Just my .02 cents.

Dave, since you are leading the movement, I'll work with you on the "please." I took too much time putting the existing stuff together to go back and change them all. What I will do, is create a Heather Gray colored tee and add the word please into that logo, and I will post a copy of that new logo on this thread, for anyone wanting to use the word please. You are probably correct that it would be more respectful.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Oh, I see that Mr Boone did write an article today for the Walton Sun.

It is really nothing new that people are not interested in taking a regular active roll in attending meetings, especially the ones which last 5 hours, like many BCC meetings. That doesn't mean that they don't have a right to complain when the gov't takes action with which the citizens don't approve. Gov't is created as a representative gov't, and the elected officials are paid to think through things and be professional. The TDC Board may throw that, "Where were you?" in the face of the people, but I know that the last thing they want is for 100 people to show up at every meeting, telling them how to do things. In today's world, if you don't hear anything about the job you are doing, you are likely non-existent in the minds of people, or either you are doing a decent+ job. We are complaint driven. If the TDC had published their idea of replacing the existing signs in a forum which people read, they would have found out very quickly that they were heading down the wrong tracks with this train. I can appreciate not having 1000 people telling you how to make the signs. Perhaps a better idea for such permanent things like these BIG BLUE signs would be to have the design company propose three different type signs with three color or logo choices, and let the public choose. Only then, could they point the fingers back to the public with just cause. Hell, they let a bunch of elementary school kids name the multi-use path the Timpoochie Trail. I think they need to take off their defensive hats and use a bit of common sense.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Dave, the new logo with "please" included is on the shirt. Look for the Light Blue colored shirt, near the bottom. The shirt comes in your choice of colors -- Light Blue, Ash Gray, or Natural (unbleached cotton color). Thanks for the suggestion. Here is the link again.

I'm attaching the new logo below for those who want to make their own stuff.

 

[rapunzel]

‘Blue’ over the wayfinding signs?
February 14th, 2008 ? Post a Comment ? posted by yucarenow


For seven years these things have been drifted around county eyes and nobody made a peep until they were dug into the ground. Where were you SoWal? Why should the TDC suddenly be shelled for doing what they thought was right for the community? (by steering tourists into businesses and other money pits that are located in different beaches nobody in the world knows)

At first, I was appalled by Mr. Boone's inaccuracies and general lack of journalistic ethics. Is it really acceptable to report on a community event and do an opinion piece about it on the same day? Then I remembered, the Sun is a free paper. It's loyalties are not with its readers, but with it's advertisers. I think it's safe to say the TDC is one of it's biggest advertisers. I guess journalistic integrity is optional for writers of free publications.

The point about Mr. Boone's lack of coverage of the signs previously made above is excellent. Further, I'd like to point out that Claire Bannerman's group has also developed signage. The scenic 30-A signage design is perfect for the community, and I'd seen the renderings several times at various events. When I saw references to the new signs before they were installed, I thought they were the one and the same. I am sure I'm not alone.

As to the point about the signs not being paid for with our tax dollars, I must disagree. I've paid the bed tax many, many times. Others at the meeting own rental properties that generate those bed taxes. Most importantly, those sign become the dominating element of the built environment wherever they are placed. We all pay huge property taxes willingly in Walton County because the built and natural environments make this a spectacular place to live or own a second home. Oversized and garish, the signs compromise the natural beauty of 30-A.

Mr. Boone wryly observes that we SoWallers always have a cause. And yes, I guess the problems of a few blue signs don't add up to a hill of beans in a world where telecom companies are getting amnesty to spy on US citizens, or where there is genocide in Darfur. But, I think Mr. Boone missed the real story here -- that story is that things were done in a way that would minimize community involvement in the name of expediency. Hundreds of thousands of tax dollars were spent (the minimum bid wasn't accepted) on something that does not fit the community, and which the vast majority of people do not like or want. The disregard of the will of the people by public servants is a big deal, even if signs may not seem all that important to Mr. Boone. Perhaps our new cause should be to demand accountability of the fourth estate.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

Thanks Grayton Girl- looking forward to the Beach Breeze info. Honestly, I have only read the Breeze twice- I never knew it was our "official" paper, and it is not really visible around here and requires a bit of a hunt to find it. Apparently annual subscriptions are about $30- may be money well spent to make sure goofy stuff like the signs doesn't slide by the community again.

Plus, it keeps all of us hardworking writers in moocho Ramen noodles

Ps........SJ........love the shirt. I'm going to get one

 

[Jdarg]

Plus, it keeps all of us hardworking writers in moocho Ramen noodles

Ps........SJ........love the shirt. I'm going to get one

Seriously AL- why is the Beach Breeze so hard to find? Shouldn't they invest in more paper boxes? I know there is one at Gulf Place and another at Donut Hole, but beyond that, where can I get one? (of course I have saved a special copy that had the best Blithe Spirit article EVAH!)

I bet the paper does get at least a few new subscriptions this week!

 

[rapunzel]

By god, I think I'm going to have to subscribe to the Beach Breeze. I had come to the think of the Sun and the NY Times as a good enough newspaper. Oops!

I hope some of you guys who advertise in the Sun will consider withdrawing your ads from the Sun for a week and running them in the Breeze instead. It might be a great way to demand impartiality from that "fourth estate."

 

[GoodWitch58]

Hear! Hear!

Looks as though Sean is adhering to the standards and ethics of too many of the so-called main stream media.

I agree it's time we held members of the fourth estate accountable, along with elected officials!

Our government is a government of the people....at least it is supposed to be.

The TDC is a government entity tasked with the responsibility to spend tax money wisely...doesn't matter the source of the tax money. For TDC Commissioners and staff to disregard the concerns of the public is the real story....too bad Sean doesn't have the journalistic expertise to see it.

 

[Grayton Girl]

Attached (I hope) are 2 newspaper articles. The first is an article (approximately 1/4 of a newspaper page) on page 4 of the Beach Breeze published on October 3, 2002. This is the article that the TDC references that gave notice to the public that in January of 2008 (5 1/2 years later) these signs would appear on our roadways.

The drawings in the article are scary, scary, but the article states that it is a plan. According to the article, the "wayfinding family of signs" (I HATE that term) is proposed to reduce sign clutter. Ha!

A side note - you will see a private ad under the article that offers a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who was stealing the "No Mo Ro" signs, which were signs in opposition to the re-election of Rosier Cutchens, County Commissioner. Rosier may have done alot of things that made people (including me) mad, but he was one of 2 commissioners (Pridgen being the other one) who voted against the signs (and the 1 penny bed tax used to fund it). He thought the signs were too expensive.

Just a little history.

The second article, published on February 26, 2004 (4 years ago) discusses the BCC meeting at which the new "bed tax" was authorized. It also mentions the signs, and it references Commissioner Cutchens' "no" vote and the fact that he did not favor spending money on the sign system.

So, it seems that there have been references to a "wayfinding" sign system now and again over the past 6 years, but as far as I know, there is no other drawing or depiction of the signs in the newspapers or other county-wide or easily-accessed media from Oct. 2002 until Jan. 2008. I also have not seen any article during that time period that discusses the $260,000 cost of the new sign system.

A time frame of almost 6 years from the date of the initial "notice" to the implementation of the signs is just too long for the public to reasonably remain involved in an issue. If you were unlucky enough to miss that October 2002 article, then you really had no "true" notice of the scope of the project at all.