Minutes - Council - 05/11/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Musgrove stated that she thinks this could be premature with the Highway 10 construction and the potential for changes to the corridor and visibility. She stated that currently there are not billboards because of the City Code. She stated that in Champlin there are several stoplights and vehicles have time to read the messaging. She stated that with the Highway 10 project the intent would be to have traffic constantly moving and was unsure that the same benefit would be gained. She asked if that would be a part of future discussions related to location. EDA Chairperson Steffen commented that there are several options for location, but there was a preferred location. He stated that Highway 10 construction would not impact that location. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill commented that nothing is locked in, this would only select the vendor to continue to work with. He stated that the proposed location would not be impacted by Highway 10 construction or stormwater ponding. He stated that it will take time to negotiate the terms with iDigital and believed that moving forward would help to align this with the timeline of the Highway 10 project. He noted that this vendor would also be willing to move the sign location if needed. EDA Chairperson Steffen commented that on I-94 people are driving at high speeds and there are still billboards, therefore he would believe stoplights are not critical to sign placement. He stated that there would not be three major players interested in a Ramsey location if they felt it would not be a good fit. Councilmember Musgrove commented that she supports signage. She recognized that the Code should be reviewed related to signage and regulations within The COR. She stated that it sounds like all those discussions can move along at the same time. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill commented that iDigital would become part of the team in working on those tasks. He stated that the company has experience in ordinance writing and would assist staff in creating a better ordinance related to the technical specifications. Mayor Kuzma commented that having a digital sign would help Ramsey businesses and those businesses need help. He stated that the comment has been made repeatedly that The COR businesses need visibility. Councilmember Heineman stated that he also supports this. He asked for details on the proposed height of the sign. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill commented that the height would be part of the discussion and businesses would be involved in that discussion. He stated that the sign would be more similar to Champlin rather than similar in height to the sign at the Armstrong interchange. Councilmember Woestehoff thanked the EDA and Chairperson Steffen for their work and input. He stated that billboards are not new to him as his dad was involved in marketing for 30 years. He commented on how marketing has evolved over time. He commented that he is concerned that the City is attempting to solve the wrong problem. He acknowledged that the City needs to assist businesses but did not think Ramsey could be compared to other cities. He stated that Sunwood City Council / May 11, 2021 Page 13 of 20