New sign for St. Regis
ST. REGIS – Visitors to St. Regis and residents wanting to know about upcoming events and activities in the area will soon have a new fixture to inform them after the old option is replaced by a bright, colorful LED sign planned for this fall.
The old sign was turned off after lack of usage but one local entity decided having an eye-catching sign to inform people about what was happening in the community was an important economic driver. The new sign will not only be a more technologically advanced option, it is also bigger and will be closer to the interchange than the current sign.
The old sign used to be operated by the St. Regis High School but now they will have their own to advertise events. The old one will be removed and installed at the school. The new one will be maintained and updated by the St. Regis Community Council. SRCC Secretary Glenn Koepke said promoting local events through a new sign, or reader board, could help boost the local economy.
“The old sign fell into disrepair and it lay idle for a year or so,” Koepke said. “But we were talked into getting a new one. It will be programmable from a laptop. We can put whatever topics or events we want on there. The new one will be much better than the old one.”
The SRCC was talked into replacing the old one by their president, John Cheesman, who said he thought it was something the community needed in order to promote events and bolster the economic vitality of the area. He said the group was hoping to have the sign installed already but, according to him and Koepke, all of the construction firms that can do the work are busy finishing up last minute projects before winter arrives.
“We were hoping to have it up before the spring flea market,” Cheesman said. “Then we were hoping to have it up before the fall flea market. Now, we are hoping to have it up by Christmas.”
The two panel sign is comprised of sections of LED lights. LED lights are much more energy efficient than traditional options. According to information provided by the SRCC, the lights will only cost $10 a month in utility costs. Cheesman said the panels will also be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and provide more information than the previous sign was capable of.
“The message will change every eight seconds if we want it that fast,” Cheesman said. “We won’t be advertising for any specific business but we can advertise things like all St. Regis gift shops, hotels or antiques. We will use it for local functions and events. It will be a benefit for everyone in St. Regis.”
Cheesman said the old sign will have to be cut down and moved to the school and then the new one will be installed. He said the two panels will be angled so as to improve the visibility over the old one. He and Koepke said it should be easily visible from the interchange as well as the intersection in St. Regis.