Large signs put up along Highway 60 expressyway

Sheldon now has signs welcoming people off the Highway 60 expressway bypass.

The Two signs are located in advance of the first exits into the community going in either direction on the new four-lane thoroughfare. For travelers coming from the south, one sign is located south of town in advance of the south Exit 31 at McKinley Avenue. From the north, the second sign is located in advance of the east Exit 34 at Highway 18.

Sheldon Marketing Committee chairwoman Heidi Nissen said the project might have been the biggest accomplishment of the marketing group during 2007.

“That was in response to concern that Sheldon business people and residents had about the lack of specific and clear signage coming in, and we certainly want people to know where to get off,” she said. “That was a big project for us to get done.”

It has been a priority the marketing group had studies for a couple of years – and had faced some roadblocks on.

The group initially faced frustrations when it found out from billboard companies that state zoning regulations and the lack of zoning in O’Brien County significantly liimited the places where billboards could be put up. The monthly lease cost of those billboards also ran a few hundred dollars per month.

Through further research, the marketing committee was informed of the official city, county and public agency sign program of the Iowa Department of Transportation. This program allows a city such as Sheldon to put up a public sign on private property within its city limits or two-mile zoning radius around the town. The sign must carry out a specific duty – such as Sheldon’s in serving as a welcome sign. The sign also had to be general in nature and cannot list a commercial message or business name.

“We decided when you’re going 65 miles per hour anyway, how much can you put on a sign and expect to see?” Nissen said.

The marketing committee secured easements on property along Nest Avenue near the Sheldon Country Club golf course for the east interchange and on property along McKinley Avenue for the south interchange.

The signs were designed b Sheldon Marketing Committee member Cindy Tigges, who also is the marketing director a Maintainer Corporation of Iowa in Sheldon. Committee members selected the design they liked the best out of several options.

The signs – which are eight feet wide and 16 feet tall – feature the new family-based logo that was developed for the community through the brand discernment process at the top. The center of the banner proclaims: “Welcome to Sheldon.” The sign then has either “Next Exit 34” or “Downtown Exit 31.” The bottom of the signs include a place where inserts can be put in to promote community events – such as Sheldon Celebrations Days, Sheldon Home Show and Fall Festival – throughout the year.

The marketing committee received approval of the sign designs from the property owners. The Sheldon City Council then approved a resolution authorizing the installation of the two signs.

“We actually designed these signs to be the opposite shape of most other signs. They’re tall and narrow, so they’ll stick out,” Nissen said. “They look sharp. We designed them so that when you’re driving 65 miles per hour, you can look at it and catch it fairly easily. We wanted them to [be] basic and eye catching. It is one of the first public things to incorporate Sheldon’s new logo.”

The signs were crafted by Autgrafx of Sheldon and put up by the company over a couple of afternoons.

The Sheldon Marketing Committee covered the cost of the signs, which totaled $7,978, including easements, land surveys and legal work. The group also will pay $400 annually in easement payments to the property owners.

“We appreciated that those folks were generous with their willingness to want to support Sheldon and help us get signs,” Nissen said. “We will pay the annual easements to them, but the marketing committee owns the signs. With the billboards, they were running about $400 a month and they’re not yours.”

By Derrick Vander Waal, Managing Editor, Sheldon Mail-Sun