According to an announcement from the Tourism Development Authority, three sign companies will be in town on Friday, Aug. 27, to review the peeling wayfinding signs, and repairs are scheduled to begin in October.
"The companies have been invited to discuss their respective responses to a request for proposal issued by BCTDA August 6 seeking vendors to repair the peeling signs and the remaining vehicular and parking signs which are at future risk for failure," the announcement reads. "The finalists are: Signs, Etc. based in Charlotte, Geograph in Harrison, Ohio, and Architectural Sign in Norcross, Ga. ... Only one local firm submitted a proposal and it was in conjunction with a fabricator in South Carolina."
The TDA is currently embroiled in a legal battle with L&H Signs of Redding, Pa. The wayfinding signs, part of a $1 million project funded by hotel tax, began peeling shortly after their installation.
The announcement also notes that all three companies have proposed to do the repairs for under the $200,000 of funds that still remains. The TDA had refused to pay L&H Signs that amount due to the condition of the signs and the alleged breach of contract. In the same document, the TDA also highlights part of the original bidding process, asserting, "The project went through a state public bidding process that required granting the project to the lowest responsible bidder. As required by law, the project was well advertised. No Asheville or Western North Carolina firms bid on the original project."
Following the inspection, the TDA board will select a company to fulfill the contract, and asserts "that replacement of the priority signs — those that show the worst signs of peeling — will be complete in October."
— David Forbes, senior news reporter
"The companies have been invited to discuss their respective responses to a request for proposal issued by BCTDA August 6 seeking vendors to repair the peeling signs and the remaining vehicular and parking signs which are at future risk for failure," the announcement reads. "The finalists are: Signs, Etc. based in Charlotte, Geograph in Harrison, Ohio, and Architectural Sign in Norcross, Ga. ... Only one local firm submitted a proposal and it was in conjunction with a fabricator in South Carolina."
The TDA is currently embroiled in a legal battle with L&H Signs of Redding, Pa. The wayfinding signs, part of a $1 million project funded by hotel tax, began peeling shortly after their installation.
The announcement also notes that all three companies have proposed to do the repairs for under the $200,000 of funds that still remains. The TDA had refused to pay L&H Signs that amount due to the condition of the signs and the alleged breach of contract. In the same document, the TDA also highlights part of the original bidding process, asserting, "The project went through a state public bidding process that required granting the project to the lowest responsible bidder. As required by law, the project was well advertised. No Asheville or Western North Carolina firms bid on the original project."
Following the inspection, the TDA board will select a company to fulfill the contract, and asserts "that replacement of the priority signs — those that show the worst signs of peeling — will be complete in October."
— David Forbes, senior news reporter
Read more articles in:
NewsSubscribe to XpressMail. Free Sneak Peek. Every Week.
Want to know what's coming out in Xpress this week before the paper even hits the stands?
We've got your free sneak peek, along with deals available in XpressMail, our weekly email newsletter. (It's the best we can do without time travel.)
-
Comments
-
Related Articles
-
Comments
Make a comment
How are we "embroiled in a legal battle" over this? We paid for a product that came with certain reasonable expectations (i.e. that they wouldn't self destruct in a matter of weeks). This is clearly the result of a manufacturing defect. Why is there even a question about L&H signs being responsible for repairs?
By StephenEggett
08/26/2010
It's nice they will be fixed at the end of the tourist season.
By Orbit DVD
08/27/2010
I feel like there's a portion of this story that gets skipped over because we are becoming so accustomed to seeing large price tags affixed to public improvement projects. I mean, I hate to incite anger, but ... One million dollars. One million dollars for signs that can't be read, that look amateur and cheap. What would you do with a million bucks? For crying out loud.
By Mackensy Lunsford
08/27/2010
To be fair, it appears that the million was not strictly devoted to said signs, but still...
By Mackensy Lunsford
08/27/2010
Why are they having to pay to repair the faulty work of the previous companies ....
By LOKEL
08/27/2010
So very easy to spend other peoples money.
By D. Dial
08/27/2010