It’s a sign of the times – literally.
This spring, areas in and around Bowling Green’s downtown will host new historical signage, a long-planned project of the city’s Historical Preservation Commission.
city council heard about the project and its progress during monday’s regular meeting.
“I think it’s a terrific project,” said Mayor Mike Aspacher at the meeting. “I think it’s going to be a really great enhancement to our downtown area.”
Aspacher said he’s impressed with the amount of research going into each of the signs.
Planning Director Heather Sayler said Monday that the city became a Certified Local Government in the State of Ohio for historic preservation in the summer of 2021 “and ever since then we’ve had this really exciting pathway to some really cool things, one of them being the (Certified Local Government) grant that we were awarded this summer.”
The grant, she said, is federal funding from the National Parks Service, through Ohio Historic Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society. Sayler noted that, including a 40% match from the city, the CLG funding will be $43,000 for 16 signs. A subcommittee of the HPC has been working on the signs, she said.
“We’ve been meeting pretty regularly and it’s been a fabulous project, learning about local history, including the building we’re in right now,” Sayler said.
She said the signs have been drafted and the majority of the research has been done. Currently, Sayler said they are collecting high-resolution images to use on the signs. They hope to have all of the signs finalized by February, with production in March and installation in April or May.
HPC Chair John Sampen said the signs will be positioned around the downtown area, Wooster Green, and the courthouse area. Some of the themes include Historic Schools, Historic Churches, the Boom Town, Four Corners, Transportation, the Old Post Office/North Church Street, and the Police Building.
“We’re really excited about each of these,” Sampen said. “There’s been a terrific amount of research, we wanted to get it right.”
The signs will measure 2 feet by 3 feet, and will be mounted on a single steel pedastle, Sampen said. He also said they have been designed to be easily cleaned if they have been vandalized.
“I think these signs, they’re designed to last 10-15 years,” he said, “and we hope they’ll last a lot longer.”
Councilman Joel O’Dorisio asked if there would be any efforts made to make the signs accessible to the blind.
Sayler noted that the signs will have a QR code which will lead to information housed online by the city, “so we hope that as a step two we may have an audio portion,” she said.
In other business, council:
• Heard an update on staffing changes in the city from Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter. She said that current Community Development Director Martha Woelke has been appointed as Administrative Bureau Director for the city, a position which works with the finance, HR, IT, and law departments. She will also continue in her capacity as community development director. Also, Sustainability Coordinator Amanda Gamby has been appointed as director of communications, a position that had been in the portfolio of former Public Services Director Joe Fawcett. The sustainability coordinator position will be filled, Tretter said. Additionally, the city is looking to fill its IT director position and is discussing the replacement for the city’s tax commissioner.
• Heard from Wendy Manning, representing Citizens for BG Dog Parks, that the group will be moving forward with forming a non-profit organization. Further, she said they are looking to schedule a public meeting with council’s Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Committee.
• Heard from resident Sean Brennan of the Porch Fest Committee that the annual event will return June 8 from 2-7 p.m. It will include 15 porches and 15-18 bands, he said, with restroom facilities and a food truck available.
• Heard that council’s finance committee will meet prior to its Feb. 5 meeting for a presentation to hear a wrap-up of 2023 city finances.
• Heard that council will meet as a committee-of-the-whole on Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. to discuss ARPA funding. The meeting will be a work session with no public comment.
