Public hearing for Town Hall sign scheduled today
Everywhere, there’s a sign. Tonight, the Dumfries Town Council will invite the public to speak about theirs.
A marquee sign that sits in front of Town Hall is a recent addition to the property. The changeable letters on the sign allow town staff to create signs to let residents know when the next meeting of the Town Council is scheduled, as well as the upcoming Dumfries Christmas Parade.
The Architectural Review Board, the people whose job it is to make sure signs and buildings up to snuff in Virginia’s oldest, continuously chartered town, say the sign looks too modern and doesn’t conform to what is supposed to be the town’s historic look and feel.
The Board filed an appeal with the town’s government asking it to add the town seal to the top of the sign that has already cost $5,000 to install. Normally, the ARB must approve signs and structures before they are erected or built, respectively, so this process is almost in reverse.
“The Town Government should have worked with the Board to make sure the sign was in compliance before it went into the ground,” said Mayor Jerry Foreman. “And rather than gone through this appeals process, the Town Manager should’ve have asked Town Council what they wanted to do.”
Vice Mayor Willie Toney says the sign needs to stay.
“I think we should keep it up with some modifications to come in compliance with regulations. We do need to have something to show people what events the town is sponsoring and showing what’s going on,” said Toney.
Councilwoman Helen Reynolds said the sign, as it sits today, doesn’t fit the town’s “historical” surroundings.
“We’re going to have a public hearing, and we’re going to get the opinion of our citizens, but I like the idea of ‘historical,” said Reynolds.
The public hearing is a formality. Ultimately, the Town Council will decide to modify the sign or leave it as is.
Before the sign went up earlier this year, banners were hung on the side of the Dumfries Community Center adjacent to Town Hall to advertise upcoming events. The banners were costly and ultimately thrown away afterward.
A public hearing on the matter will take place during a meeting of the Town Council starting at 7 p.m.
