Times Square. Las Vegas. Security.
CAPTION(S):A two-sided LED billboard on Austin Bluffs Parkway, near Barnes Road, blinks every six seconds or so, flashing ads for a savings and loan, hot pizza, a church and new windows.Paul Hill and Josh Dwyer presented an hilarious sketch based on a policeman reporting to his sergeant about meeting with the Three Wise Men. The Sunday School children performed the story of the nativity which included several solos, dances and drummer boys along with some excellent singing. Sue Howard led the service throughout and told the story of the Christingle before they were handed out to the congregation by the Sunday School children."The light shines right in my living-room window," Stewart said. "It blinks, and I see it all the time. Blink. Blink. Blink. Sometimes, it makes me mad."But that use of the ultrabright, long-life, electronic lights isn't exactly neighborhood friendly.Most neighbors I talked to were similarly divided over the LED billboards. Some oppose them, while others grudgingly accept them.Stewart said she's glad the light is off at night."It was a huge concession for us," Ward said.But that's the problem, said Larry Barrett of Scenic Colorado. Barrett is campaigning to get the LEDs banned in El Paso County, as they are in Colorado Springs and Denver.He noted that Lamar agreed to dim the Security billboard at dusk and turn it completely off at 11 p.m. in response to complaints.A neighbor said she thought her cataract surgery had gone poorly when she got up in the middle of the night and saw the bright, flashing light of the sign near Bradley Road.At the meeting, Lamar general manager Hal Ward agreed to discuss limiting future LED billboards.Read my blog updates?at gazette.com/blogs/sidestreets"They were cooperative," she said. But she worries the outage is only temporary to appease neighbors.What do they have in common? High-tech, digital, brilliant LED billboards turning nighttime into day.Companies are turning to the LED displays - despite huge price tags of $250,000 or so - because of their enhanced visibility and the memorable impact they make on motorists. They are hard to ignore.Barrett and several allies, including Dave Munger, president of the Council of Neighbors and Organizations, urged the El Paso County Commission on Tuesday to consider rules to prevent future LED billboards from being erected.The LED billboards are owned by Lamar Outdoor Advertising, which has a network of hundreds of the digital boards nationwide.LEDs, known for transforming neighborhood Christmas decorations into dazzling displays, are showing up more on billboards.I'm guessing most neighborhoods hope what happens in Security stays in Security.
Read my blog updates?at gazette.com/blogs/sidestreets
Author: BILL VOGRIN
No comments:
Post a Comment