Over paying for signs.

I see the operations committee approved the purchase of stop signs from Signarama.

I saw the Signarama quote. They priced the signs at $58.00 each. There was a lot of other traffic control signs in the quote as well. I purchased a lot of these types of signs in my capacity as Plant Manager for Baron Signs In Riviera Beach. 

I checked prices myself and found that you can buy the stop signs for $28.00 each off the shelf here in West Palm Beach.There are many other traffic control signs in the quote that are just as overpriced. 

I offered my expertise to UCO in their sign endeavors. That includes the new sign they have planned for the entrance on Okeechobee. Ed Black was talking about spending $100 K on it. He wanted a pixelboard with moving color pictures like you see on arenas and such. That Idea got scrapped when I informed him that type of sign is not allowed under the bylaws. Then they wanted a rock waterfall sign for about $45K. I don't know what happened to that idea . I hope they forgot about it as it didn't seem like a good idea to me. It looked kind of rustic like something you would see at the Old Log Inn in Vermont. Besides It would cost a lot to pipe the water out to the gate.

 I spent a lot of years in the sign business. If you want to see some of my projects look at all the parking signs at City Place, or the Embassy Suites on PGA and I 95. The coral springs medical center and on and on to the tune of a couple of million dollars a month. I think part of the problem with the entry sign on Okeechobee is that no one knows how to get it permitted. That's another part of the job I did for Baron Signs.I actually hired a couple of CV Residents to take the documents to City Hall and also get the final inspections done

    But ! I am a person non grata at the UCO office. I tried,  but it wasn't long before I walked out in disgust, Now I see them paying double for stuff that is readily available at a lot better price. I would hazard a guess that signs are not the  the only overcharged item in the budget.

Signarama is simply buying the signs off the shelf and doubling the price. It's obvious I could have saved a lot of money  on this one project alone, but due to the fact I am relegated to the ranks of the malcontents you; my friends and neighbors, are paying the price with your hard earned cash


Neil