Washburn sign to be replaced
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
The days are numbered for Washburn’s community sign, as WAEDA reports the main panel of the structure will likely be removed and replaced with a smaller version in order to reach compliance with state regulations.
Just shy of a year after it was installed, the sign at the corner of Seventh Street and Border Lane is receiving a tentative eviction notice, as local representatives aim to put an end to permitting issues with the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
Economic Development and Marketing Director for the Washburn Area Economic Development Association Tana Larsen said the board is closing in on a decision for the sign, which was deemed non-compliant by the DOT in fall 2017.
Larsen said WAEDA had inquired with Krause’s SuperValu about potentially moving the sign onto the business’s commercial lot, where it would be compliant with advertising regulations, but that the idea didn’t pan out. She said the company that built and installed the sign, Indigo Signworks, had told the board previously that there was only one other option.
“If we couldn’t move it, (Indigo) would have to get a new sign,” Larsen said. “That’s what they had told us.”
Indigo had previously stated it may be possible to trim the sign down without completely replacing it, but Larsen said she has been informed that it was determined that would not work. With the sign sitting 16 square feet too large and without an alternative location, Larsen said it appears a new sign is the only remaining option.
