The same people who said the sign outside Dumfries Town Hall didn’t fit the historical feel of the town must now figure out how to fix it.
The Town Council voted unanimously to tell the Architectural Review Board to come up modifications for the sign so it will fit within the architectural guidelines of the town. Those could include modifying the sign posts, adding new landscaping around the sign, or adding a brick enclosure.
The legality ofsign came into question after it was installed without the approval of the ARB, a Board whose volunteer members review building applications to ensure new construction fits within correct guidelines. The ARB told town officials the letter board sign outside Town Hall, used to advertise events and public meetings, didn’t fit guidelines and that it needed to be changed.
But when it comes to exactly how historical things are supposed to look in Dumfries, Councilwoman Kristen Forrester said those guidelines aren’t exactly clear.
“I don’t think that we as a town council have come up with a good answer as to what we want to accomplish here. We’re just supposed to make everything look nice downtown,” said Forrester.
One much talked about modification to the sign was building a brick enclosure around it. That could cost up to $5,000 and would be funded in next year’s budget, said Town Manager Dan Taber.
Before the sign’s installation, the town used to hang banners on the side of a community center next to Town Hall to advertise events. Councilwoman Gwen Washington advocated for a new sign, and likes the idea of a brick enclosure to make the sign more compliant with town code.
“This is the same type of sign every church in the area started with, and then they bought a brick enclosure,” said Washington.
Some day, she added, the town might consider an electronic sign be placed in front of Town Hall.
James Ksanznak serves on the ARB and said he wants to work with town staff to fix the issues presented with the sign.
“We know there are costs involved, and we don’t recommend replacing the sign, we just want to try to make it look a little more historical,” said Ksanznak.
Now the ARB and town staff will come up with a new plan on what will be done to bring the sign into compliance with the law. Those recommendations will be presented to the Town Council, the authority that will ultimately approve them.
