Township Will Have to Replace Street Signs

Sometimes something as small as a typeface can have pretty big ramifications.

The federal government mandated that all street signs across the country be changed to a more uniformed look that is supposedly easier to read and is more reflective so its easier to see at night.

Part of the reason for the change, federal officials have said, is that studies show it is easier to read lowercase letters than all caps. So towns across the country will eventually be changing to a font called "Clearview."

A preliminary report about changing Millburn and Short Hills’ street signs with the mandated size and font, presented Tuesday night by township administrative intern Michael Anello, offered a look at the options and the costs of changing the signs.

One option would be to replace the signs with regular mandated 36-inch signs and posts (except for the cedar posts in Short Hills; those would remain). The estimate for that option would be $82,481.

Another option would be to replace all the signs in town with ornate signs that also have the town logo on it. That option would run much more at an estimated cost of $227,388.

And a third option would be a combination – with ornate signs downtown and plain signs else where and that would cost $91,000 aproximately.

If you think that's expensive - just think about New York City. Changing that toddlin' town's signage will cost an estimated $27.6 million, according to city estimates.

Originally, Millburn, New York City and the rest of the country had until 2018 to replace all the signs, but after complaints that the mandate placed too big a financial burden on towns and cities, the government backed off, saying the brighter signs should be installed as old signs need to be replaced, according to a recent report in the Washington Post.

According to the report, the original mandate was created during the Bush Administration giving towns 15 years to comply, but was changed Aug. 30, after President Obama asked federal agencies to reevaluate potentially costly mandates already on the books.

With the original deadline in mind, Anello's analysis suggested changing the signage a couple of ways: 1) hiring a company to do all the work in one year or make it a longer-term project or 2) doing the project over six years, having the public works department replace signs in one zone of the township at a time.

“Just to be clear,” said committee member Tom McDermott, “this is an unfunded federal mandate.”

Fairly self explanatory, an unfunded mandate means the government makes towns do something but doesn't help pay for it - and is the reason municipalities have balked at the deadline during these cash-strapped times.

With the Department of Transportation backing off the deadline, the township now has another, cheaper option.

"That's really good news," said the town's Assistant Business Administrator Alexander MacDonald.

At the meeting, the mayor told Anello, the intern, that he'd made a good presentation. "Now if you can find us the money to do it, that would be great," she joked.