City street fair, high school centennial share first street banner in Anderson

Photo by George L. Winship, Editor

Finishing up, the banner pole system across North Street in Anderson will allow non-profit groups and service clubs to promote their events for a $150 hanging fee and the cost of creating the banner.

Friday, July 31, saw the installation of Anderson's first street banner, at least in contemporary times, as a city public works crew hung a double-sided banner extolling on one side the city's own downtown demonstration block street fair on Sept. 12 and on the other side Anderson Union High School's centennial celebrations set for Sept. 3-5.

Various non-profit and community groups will share the use of two banner poles and a pulley system across North Street to promote community activities.

The banner poles and pulley system were erected between March and July at a cost of $18,400 bid by Fogle Enterprises. The project was funded by a portion of the Anderson Redevelopment Agency's tax increment bond sales.

City officials believe that with increasing traffic volumes on North Street, the poles "are a great way for groups to get the word out about upcoming programs and events," said Jeff Kiser, Public Works Director.

To ensure that the banners are able to withstand the elements including high winds, specifications for the banners are available from Public Works, located on the second floor of City Hall, Kiser said.

A $150 placement and removal fee also must be paid for each banner. Groups meeting the guidelines will also need to purchase an insurance policy that covers the group as well as the city for the duration of the banner's display. The insurance policy must include $100,000 worth of coverage per incident for property damage and $500,000 per person per incident for bodily injury.

Time limits not to exceed 30 days on how long a banner can remain in place were also set by the council .

Only city staff will be allowed to install and remove banners, said Dana Shigley, Anderson's acting city manager.

Banners promoting a political perspective or activity, a commercial enterprise or activity, or any event or program not related to the Anderson community will be prohibited, Shigley said.

The city reserves the right to remove the banner to safeguard public safety when weather conditions are present or forecasted that may compromise the banner, banner poles or public safety in any manner. However, the physical condition of the banner remains the responsibility of the group seeking the application to hang the banner, Shigley said.