Darien Plans To Pay For Sign After Rejecting Free One

DARIEN, IL — The Darien City Council this week took the first step toward an agreement with a developer for a city welcome sign and landscaping. Under its terms, the city would cover half the costs, spending $21,000.

The council's latest action upset an alderman, who questioned why the city would spend that kind of money when it rejected a free sign a month earlier.

In late June, the City Council voted down an agreement with developer John Manos to have a 12-high digital sign at the northwest corner of Cass Avenue and Plainfield Road, along with landscaping and a water feature. The city would have gotten two of the eight rotating advertising slots, and it would not have had to pay a dime.

The agreement for the sign would be in return for the city granting an easement on its right-of-way to Manos.

Alderman Eric Gustafson was one of the three aldermen in the minority who backed the agreement. He said the sign would cost taxpayers nothing and that it would communicate information to residents who lack internet access.

"If we don't go ahead and get a free sign, it'll come down the chute and we'll spend money on our own sign. I'll totally oppose spending a dime when we walked away from a free sign," Gustafson said.

His prediction appeared to have come true. At Monday's council meeting, the city administration presented a proposal in which the city would pay the $21,000 for landscaping, a water feature and a V-shaped block wall that would say "City of Darien." Manos would be allowed to have a 12-foot-high sign for Dunkin' Donuts and a pizza restaurant, which are planned for a building at the corner in question.

"What I said was going to happen has happened," Gustafson said. "We turned down a free sign, and now I'm supposed to turn around and approve $21,000 for a sign and landscaping that I could have gotten for free... It's fiscally and financially irresponsible to approve anything on this property when we could have had it for free."

In voting against the previous sign, some aldermen explained their decision by saying the city was giving up control of 75 percent of the sign's advertising. They said the ads could end up promoting out-of-town businesses, sending potential customers out of Darien.

Alderman Joseph Kenny said that if the beautification at the corner were done later, it would cost more. A few years ago, he said he voted against the city's spending of $60,000 on a clock tower across the street from the proposed Darien sign. But he said residents informed him later they liked the tower.

"I respect what you are saying," he told Gustafson, "but I can see the benefit of spending the $21,000."

Gustafson responded that people could have been "thrilled" with the digital sign as they were with the clock tower.

Mayor Joseph Marchese said the spruces in the landscaping would eventually block the back of the Dunkin' Donuts building. City officials see Cass and Plainfield as the entryway for Darien.

The council voted 4-3 for moving toward an agreement that involved spending $21,000. Kenny, Ted Schauer, Lester Vaughan, Tom Chlystek and Mary Sullivan were in support. Dissenting were Gustafson and Tom Belczak.