New signage purchased for city entrances

(Above) Conceptual drawing of a digital signage board to be installed at the North 8th Street and Highway 18 entrance to Clear Lake. -by LRI Graphics.

Digital display boards will share messages, video

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake will soon have new welcome signage at main entrances to the city.

Monday night the City Council approved the purchase of two welcome signs featuring four-by10-foot LED message boards, to be located at the intersection of Highway 18 and 8th Street and Highway 18 and Buddy Holly Place.  Two additional signs, without the LED light display option, will be placed at Highway 18 and the Fieldstone entrance near McDonald’s, and on 4th Avenue South, near TeamQuest.

The signs will be purchased from LRI Graphics, of Grimes, Iowa at a cost of $87,061.  There will also be additional finishing costs.

LRI Graphics owner Bob Lashier is a Clear Lake graduate who splits his time between the Des Moines area and the home he owns in Clear Lake.  His company has been well-received throughout the state and its signage was utilized in several Clear Lake School venues upgraded as part of the $18 million bond issue passed in 2020.

The Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce had been considering upgrading signage within the community when the pandemic hit and plans were placed on hold. 

“(The year) 2020 was a difficult year for many cities across our country, but amid a global pandemic Clear Lake continued to thrive.  People flocked to Clear Lake to boat, swim, bike, camp and fish.  Our town offered safe recreational activities and an escape for so many,” said Stacy Doughan, Chamber president and CEO.  “In 2020, we cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art splash pad, broke ground on several new and exciting development projects, and saw our community band together to support local.  We also had business after business choose Clear Lake as their home.  What better way to welcome

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individuals and businesses to our community than with signage that truly reflects Clear Lake’s image as a progressive and growing community?”

City officials noted existing signage was installed in the 1990s and “doesn’t reflect the terrific success and momentum Clear Lake has experienced in recent years.”

The weather-proof signs will all feature a fieldstone base and have similar looks. Dock posts and rope will frame the sides of three signs, while the digital sign at Highway 18 and Buddy Holly Place will have metal guitars fashioned by Metal Fabricators, of Clear Lake.  Costs from Country Landscapes, Clear Lake, and Metal Fabricators have not been figured into the final cost for the signage project.

The digital signs can feature announcements, graphic displays and even videos, thanks to their 6mm resolution boards.  Customized displays can be controlled remotely and are user-friendly.  A five-year warranty and lifetime software and support are included in the purchase.

A tentative timeline for the project calls for the signs to be installed by late April and fully operational by Memorial Day.

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