The ADVOCATE
November 7, 2000

Area News

Stamford's newest sign of the times

City installs the first of 14 new area directories

By Donna Porstner
Staff Writer

Motorists entering the city from major highways soon will be greeted with "Stamford Welcomes You."

The city plans to install 14 new signs in upcoming months.

Mayor Dannel Malloy unveiled the first sign yesterday at the northeast corner of South State and Atlantic streets, near Exit 8 off Interstate 95.

The directory, with arrows pointing to Stamford destinations such as the University of Connecticut and downtown, is meant to replace the clutter of individual signs the mayor says is confusing.

"I think it's a magnificent sign." Malloy said, pointing to the model. "There are a lot of cities that have gone to this unified signage system. You see this in Norwalk and elsewhere."

The new signs have been planned for more than a year under the direction of the Downtown Special Services District and Keep Stamford Beautiful. The groups chose the arched design and the locations. By spring, all of the signs' locations will be landscaped to make the city more attractive, Malloy said.

DSSD Executive Director Sandra Goldstein stressed the importance of streamlining highway and city signs into neat packages.

"When people get off the highway, this is their first impression of Stamford," she said.

The signs were designed by Rumney Associates, a New Haven-based firm that also designed signs for Bridgeport and New Haven. They will be manufactured by Granata Signs Co. of Stamford.

The Atlantic Street sign is the only one completed so far, said manufacturer Ivo John Granata, explaining he has a contract to make the other 13 once sponsor-ships are secured.

The 13-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide aluminum signs cost $10,000 each. The city is looking to corporations and neighborhood groups to offset the cost. In return, sponsors' names will be added to the bottoms of the signs.

Once the first 14 are up, Malloy said, he would like to add signs to the entrances of neighborhoods, such as the West Side and the South End.

The city bought the first one with funds previously allocated for signs in the Office of Operations budget.

"Just as we paid for all the individual, ugly signs, we are paying to put up this beautiful sign," Malloy said.