From Rotarians and Lions to Kiwanis and Civitans, Oxford is the proud home of many service clubs.
To make sure everyone driving through town knows that, the village is exploring erecting a “gateway sign” highlighting all the area service clubs’ logos.
“I think that our service clubs need to be recognized,” said Councilwoman Renee Donovan, who serves as a director for the newly-formed Great Oaks Civitan Club, at the Dec. 23 meeting.
The proposed signage would be similar in concept to that which the City of Rochester has on Rochester Road, said Manager Mark Slown, a member of the Rotary Club of Oxford.
However, Slown noted he “wouldn’t be in favor” of a gateway sign as “massive” as Rochester’s. He said he only used it as an example, not a model, because it’s so prominent and “most people are familiar” with it.
Resident Merle Smith, a member of the Pontiac Civitan Club, mentioned the gateway sign on Baldwin Road, which greets people entering the City of Pontiac, as a “considerably smaller” example of how service clubs can be recognized.
Individual service clubs provide their logos to the municipality, which in turn provides a structure to mount them on, Smith explained.
Oxford’s proposed gateway signs would be placed on M-24 at the northern and southern village limits, officials said.
It was the consensus of council to “move the proposal for service club signage with gateway concept over to” Michelle Bishop, executive director of the Oxford Community Development Authority, and “have her meet with the service organizations.”
It was noted that Bishop has a Master’s Degree in design and a “great deal of design knowledge.”
Slown originally recommended council approve a proposal from Rowe, Inc. (the village’s engineer) to design and develop the signage for an amount not to exceed $1,500.
However, some council members opposed this.
Although she stated she’s “very much in favor” of recognizing the service clubs with signage, Donovan objected to spending money for Rowe to do the project.
She suggested the village utilize the “brain power” it already has – in the form of the OCDA, Beautification Commission, planning commission, etc. – to “come up with something amongst ourselves, a “far less expensive” approach.
OCDA Chairperson Sue Bossardet said the gateway signage should be “something tasteful” and “simple to do.”
“The simpler it is, the better it is,” she said
“I think it’s certainly worth exploring,” said Councilman Dave Bailey of the project.