A welcome sign project that has been ongoing this year in Park Ridge has not drawn a warm reception from some residents who say it’s moving too fast and doesn’t have much community input.
Two Park Ridge residents spoke during the public comment portion of the City Council meeting Monday and voiced their concerns about the project.
Joan Sandrik told the council she doesn’t feel the community has been given much of a chance to weigh in on the design options for the signs and the process hasn’t been transparent.
“Why is there a need for these one-on-one sessions that are behind closed doors or telephonically? Those are not transparent,” she questioned, referring to discussions city leaders and staff have had so far this year about the welcome signs.
The six current welcome signs – at entrances into the village – are wooden and painted, and show signs of weathering, village officials have said. There are two main proposed designs for news marquees – one large and one small – calling for them to be made of stone and able to be illuminated at night.
In March, the City Council rejected a proposal from The Lakota Group, a Chicago-based landscape, architecture and urban planning firm, on a 3-2 vote, shocked that the cost to design eight “Welcome to Park Ridge” signs would have been over $40,000 – not including construction costs.
However, city staff advised the council that the project could not be done in-house by the Public Works Department. The council went on at a later meeting – with more council members in attendance – to approve Lakota’s proposal.
A recent city manager’s report indicated, “The designs reflect insights gathered through
one-on-one sessions with City Council members, community input from the Farmers Market, and responses to an online survey that has been promoted via social media.”
At the meeting Monday, Sandrik balked at city leaders’ claims of transparency and community collaboration.
“We have not seen any response to online surveys,” she said. “What’s the point of having surveys if we never see the results of them?”
The city manager’s report also states that Park Ridge will seek requests for proposals for manufacturing and installing the signs. The report is available online.
The Lakota Group’s designs come with a few color variations, and, as a result, some choices still remain. The public had the opportunity to weigh in on the designs in the hour prior to the meeting.
Sandrik also criticized the timing of the request for proposals and the one-hour public review of the sign designs.
“Two weeks before Christmas, when the residents haven’t seen any results of any of this,” she said. “It’s buried in a report that I would venture to guess that most residents don’t even read and none of it has been posted anywhere other than online. … I find this totally objectionable. Two weeks before Christmas when people are thinking about other things is not the time to be discussing this.”
Another resident, Missy Langan, echoed Sandrik, and said she saw only a few dozen responses to an online survey for the sign designs.
“I looked it up online and I saw 39 responses,” Langan said. “To me, that’s not overwhelming. … These are permanent. These are going to be what represents our city for the next 30 years. This is a pretty permanent decision and I would urge you to wait until after the holidays to discuss this.”
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No final decisions have been made on sign design, and it was not made clear Monday when there would be. The City Council did not comment on any feedback it heard.
Community Development Director Drew Awsumb did not return calls by presstime from Pioneer Press seeking further comment.
Business related to the welcome signs were not on the night’s agenda, so the council did not vote on the matter. Also, no council member made any public remark about it.
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.