Should There Be an Electronic Sign at the Burlington Common?

The Select Board is set to come back to Town Meeting in September with an updated proposal to install an electronic sign at the Burlington Common at the corner of Bedford and Cambridge Streets, a proposal which was postponed at the January 2023 Town Meeting citing concerns about distraction, dimensions, and the policy around how signs would be approved for display.

The new electronic sign, whose screen area would be capped at 8' by 4' according to the current proposal, would take the place of the two wooden poles which currently hold up interchangeable vinyl signs throughout the year. While the concern of distraction has only been glancingly mentioned in conversations this time around, the Town Administration says they'll obtain an official statement from the Police Chief addressing the topic.

Proponents of the upcoming September article say the sign would bring the following benefits:

• The ability to promote multiple events at the same time.
• Savings on money from the town and community groups for having to print physical signs and labor for changing them.
• A more modern and streamlined look than the current system of banners on poles.

At the Planning Board meeting of July 18, chair William Gaffney stated several of his concerns about having an electronic sign on the Common:

• The electronics of the sign could become obsolete in a few years.
• The visual appeal of the Common would be negatively impacted by such a sign.
• There are a number of ways to communicate with residents of the town via the town's alert system, online, and via social media, and he didn't see the necessity of such a sign in such a prominent location in town.

Planning Board Member Barbara L'Heureux pointed out that people pay attention to that sign and, while stopping short of endorsing an electronic sign, she insisted (and Gaffney agreed) that whether or not it ends up being electronic, what's there needs to be upgraded and updated.

Another consideration that surfaced repeatedly was the size of the sign. The current language would allow for a total size of 12' by 16' for the entire sign.

The discussion on July 18 was just an initial conversation, and the article will be revisited on August 15, where the Town Administration will submit updated wording of the article and a proposed policy regarding how signs will be accepted for display.

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