Does Burr Ridge Need More I-55 Exposure?

While an agreement to end the long-running saga was the big news coming out of Monday’s Burr Ridge Village Board meeting, the mayor and trustees actually spent more time debating the relative merits of promotional signage along Interstate 55.

The topic arose when Village Administrator Steve Stricker presented the board with recommendations from the Economic Development Committee regarding ideas for promoting downtown Burr Ridge.

Trustees were on board with most of the recommendations, which basically involved very low-cost ways of increasing dialogue with residents and businesses to help promote the downtown area. However, board members balked at two more expensive ideas -- paying $9,100 for a series of promotional videos that would appear on the SeeYouDowntown.com website and spending $10,500 for Hitchcock Design Group to come up with a concept for new signage along Interstate 55.

SeeYouDowntown?

Stricker noted that area communities including Oak Park and Naperville already are using SeeYouDowntown.com.

“We’re in competition with these other areas,” he observed.

Stricker said the videos produced could also be used by the village on its website and in other ways.

However, Trustee John Manieri suggested that a business association should foot the $9,100 bill, rather than the village.

“I think there should be some separation of church and state here,” he said.

He said the village might be better served by instead channeling funds to the Downtown Events Planning Committee.

Trustee Bob Grela said he would like to entertain bids from other videographers to see if the $9,100 was a competitive fee.

The board ultimately decided to seek more information on the idea before making a decision.

Monumental decision

Stricker noted that tens of thousands of cars pass by Burr Ridge on I-55 every day.

“I’m sure most cars going by have no idea we have a downtown,” he said.

He said sufficient funds were available in the Hotel/Motel Tax Fund to pay for the design of promotional signage along the interstate.

“A lot of signs we have seen don’t meet the standards of our village,” he added. “We would build our own consensus ahead of time.”

Stricker said he understood the idea of a sign along the highway was controversial and not all members of the Economic Development Committee were on board with the idea.

One of those members was Trustee Bob Sodikoff, who questioned the wisdom of spending money on the idea.

“There is currently a sign on I-55 that says “shop in Burr Ridge” and gives you an exit number,” he said. “If it were successful, it would have been successful already.”

Manieri agreed.

“I don’t think a sign is going to get them off I-55,” he said. “If it did, we’d need a police officer on County Line Road directing traffic.”

Trustee Maureen Wott also was hesitant to embrace the plan, expressing agreement with other trustees who thought the Village Center’s primary purpose was to serve the local community.

“I just don’t know how to reach everyone in the village,” she said. “It’s amazing to me that people still don’t know what’s going on downtown.”

Stricker showed trustees a design done a couple of years ago for a monument-type sign that could be erected along the interstate.

“We’re not talking about an ugly billboard,” he said.

Piquing interest for peak sales?

Two trustees and Mayor Gary Grasso expressed support for the sign idea.

“I think a sign of that magnitude would pique people’s interest,” Trustee Al Paveza said.

“We can’t support a center just on the residents of our village,” Trustee Leonard Ruzak said. “We need something to draw in people.”

Grasso said he had heard repeatedly from business owners that more signage was needed along I-55.

“No question, it has to be tasteful,” he said. “Nothing would be done without input from village residents.”

Grasso noted that the Village Center was about 30 percent vacant and business owners he talked to, including hotels and motels, were in favor of using hotel/motel tax funds on signage.

“There appears to be money around in tough economic times to try to turn things around,” he said.

With Grasso casting the tie-breaking vote, the board voted 4-3 to at least get more information on the sign concept and not kill the idea. Grella, Manieri, and Sodikoff voted against the motion.