The city of El Dorado will soon replace an inoperative digital marquee near the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium.
The existing LED sign has been out of commission for a year and a half and on Nov. 10, the El Dorado City Council approved a funding request of nearly $87,000 to replace the sign.
The sign was installed a decade ago and was one of two that were purchased as a part of a project to improve the city's gateways.
A task force that was formed in the early 2010s to improve the city's gateways and establish a local wayfinding system -- in conjunction with the advent of the Murphy Arts District, which opened in 2017 -- drafted a plan and presented a funding request to the former El Dorado Economic Development Board, which oversaw the El Dorado Forward tax.
Much like the El Dorado Works tax, the one-cent El Dorado Forward sales tax was dedicated to economic development projects in the city.
The tax expired in 2015 after eight years and was followed up with the El Dorado Works tax, a 10-year tax that will sunset in 2025.
The gateway task force developed a project that included two digital marquees -- the other marquee is at the El Dorado Conference Center --; four monument signs that are set up at city entrances on the north, south, east and west sides of town; and at least 100 wayfinding signs.
The faulty digital sign is adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado at the intersection of North West Avenue and West Eighth Street.
During an El Dorado Water and Public Works Board meeting in October, Robert Edmonds, director of public works, sought guidance from the board about how to proceed with and fund the project.
Edmonds said only one bid from Canedy Signs & Graphics in Jonesboro was submitted for a new, high-definition sign at a cost of $86,922.
He said an 80% deposit -- nearly $70,000 -- is required for the purchase.
Edmonds relayed the information to the El Dorado Works Board on Nov. 1 when he requested funding for the sign.
Sara Coffman, EWB treasurer, inquired about an item in the bid that called for the installation of "ground mount" signs.
"So, are you going to take the whole sign down or are you going to put the new sign up where it's (already) on?" Coffman asked.
Edmonds said the existing cabinet will accommodate the new sign and materials will include new sheet metal.
Coffman also asked about a warranty and Edmonds said the new sign comes with a 10-year warranty for parts and labor.
She and Edmonds noted that the existing sign broke almost immediately after the warranty expired.
Mayor-elect and El Dorado City Council Member Paul Choate pointed out that technology "is light years ahead of where it was" when the old sign was installed more than a decade ago.
The brilliance and intensity of newer digital signs are noticeably better than older signs and he said that when the old marquee was purchased, the average life span of such signs was seven or eight years.
"The life span on this should be a bit better," Choate said.
EWB member Andre Singleton asked if the new sign will be bigger than the existing sign and Edmonds said the signs are the same size and the clarity will be better with the new sign.
Singleton also asked if the balance of the cost of sign would be paid in monthly installments after the down payment has been met and Edmonds said no, explaining that the balance will be paid in full.
Additional discussion
Coffman asked EWB chairman Greg Downum if funding was left from the El Dorado Forward line item that covered the cost of the gateway plan.
Each of the projects that were included in the decade-old funding package reportedly came in under budget.
El Dorado City Council members previously discussed tapping into any balance from the El Dorado Forward line item to pay for the new digital sign.
Downum said he did not know if any funding remained from the El Dorado Forward revenues and Choate said there is no clear record to confirm if any funds are left over.
"It's an old tax. That's why I think requests that may utilize the (former El Dorado Economic Development Board, which oversaw the El Dorado Forward tax revenues) funds -- there have been a couple of inquiries --, I've just suggested to come back and make another request to make it clean," said Downum.
"We know money is there and we've discussed before, is there a limitation on when a project or idea is funded and when they could spend the money?" he continued. "We may or may not want to have projects open indefinitely or if action hasn't been taken or if projects are complete and even if there's a little bit of money left there, we should probably close those projects."
"And if there's additional monies that are needed for another project, we can bring it back and we can reconsider it at that time, versus having an open amount that's out there." Downum said.
Choate said he has not seen any "sunset language" on when money that has been allocated from the El Dorado Forward and El Dorado Works taxes should be spent.
"It's silent. It's up to ... your commission," he said.
Downum said the money for the sign could be taken from either the El Dorado Forward or El Dorado Works tax.
He asked who will operate and update the sign and Choate said the El Dorado Advertising and Promotion contracts with the Diamond Agency to operate and manage the city's digital signs.
Choate, who serves as treasurer of the A&P commission, said that in addition to events, including those at the auditorium, the sign may also be used to notify the public about any emergency situations.
He said he has received inquiries from multiple people have asked when the sign is going to be repaired "so they'll know what's going on at the auditorium."
Coffman said she has received similar questions.
Singleton asked if the sign is "really needed" and Downum asked if another location was considered for the new sign.
Both said the area in which the sign stands is a high-traffic area in the city, with 19,000 vehicles reportedly passing through the area each day.
Coffman and Choate also said the traffic-count influenced the site selection for Whataburger, 1326 N. West Ave.
The group also noted that digital signage is an effective way to disseminate information, saying that traditional ways of communication, such as the local newspaper, have waned.
In response to Downum's question about location, audience member Greg Withrow pointed out that the infrastructure, including electrical implements, are already in place at the location of the North West Avenue sign.
Changing the location would incur additional costs to install the new sign, Withrow said.
Coffman and Singleton presented the funding request to the El Dorado City Council on Nov. 10, explaining that the EWB had decided to pull the money from the construction and maintenance line item of the El Dorado Works tax.
Twenty percent of revenues from the tax are dedicated to maintenance and construction.
Choate also noted Nov. 10 that the project has a six-week lead time for delivery and two weeks for installation.
"So, it's important for us to get a check out as soon as possible, as soon as (the city's accounts payable clerk) can get it printed," he said.