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May 10, 2023
Bandera EDC wayfinding signs a step closer to installation
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
Bandera Economic Development Corporation members continue to move forward with the installation of wayfinding signs throughout the city.
During a special meeting on Monday, May 7, BEDC board members approved up to $600 for the printing and installation of six maps to be placed inside the front and back of three cedar frames, which will be similar to the signs in front of City Hall. They will be 3.6 feet tall and 4.6 feet wide, installed 2.6 feet off the ground for handicap accessibility at the BEDC parking lot, the 800 block of Maple at Bandera City Park between the playground and the skatepark, and Heritage Park off Main Street.
The maps will feature various points of interest, including the Old Bandera Jail, the Bandera County Courthouse, the Frontier Times Museum, Bandera Natural History Museum, the O.S.T. Restaurant, Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, the Hill Country State Natural Area, murals throughout the city, and more.
BEDC Member Laura Devenport said permit requests for all three signs have been submitted to the city, and two have thus far been approved.
Bandera City Council members weighed in last week on the sign at City Park, granting permission for its installation in a three to one vote, with Council Member Jeff Flowers opposed.
After Council Member Lynn Palmer motioned to approve the location, Flowers said he liked the idea of featuring museums and some other area attractions, but questioned why some businesses were listed, and others weren’t. Council Member Tony Battle reined in the conversation, stating the sign’s content was under the BEDC board’s purview.
“It’s the EDC sign, and it has been approved,” Battle said during the May 2 meeting. “The role of City Council is to come up with policy. We appointed EDC members to come up with a sign. They’ve done that.”
The next step is to obtain a quote from the city’s Public Works Department for the cost of installing bollards and the signs. Once prepared, Devenport and BEDC Board President Andrea Jankoski will present it to the board.
~ In other business, the board unanimously agreed to compose a resolution reestablishing board member terms and limits. After a couple of tumultuous years that included board dissolution and high member turnover, the record of who was appointed when and replacing whom has become difficult to trace.
“We really do not know who’s filling what term,” Jankoski said.
Although swear-in dates could be retrieved, Jankoski said it would be difficult to confirm whom new members were replacing, much less how much longer their term should be. In an effort to begin somewhere, she said previous bylaws outlined two-year terms, a maximum of six-year tenures, and staggered elections.
“The board was in abysmal shape,” BEDC Board Member Alan Arterbury said. “To be honest, we’ll probably never find out. We didn’t even have the correct number of officers...We’re fixing to start anew, with two new board members coming on. Let’s set a precedent now.”
Board members approved their next meeting date, May 22, as the final cut-off date for applications to be received for the vacant seats.
During a special meeting on Monday, May 7, BEDC board members approved up to $600 for the printing and installation of six maps to be placed inside the front and back of three cedar frames, which will be similar to the signs in front of City Hall. They will be 3.6 feet tall and 4.6 feet wide, installed 2.6 feet off the ground for handicap accessibility at the BEDC parking lot, the 800 block of Maple at Bandera City Park between the playground and the skatepark, and Heritage Park off Main Street.
The maps will feature various points of interest, including the Old Bandera Jail, the Bandera County Courthouse, the Frontier Times Museum, Bandera Natural History Museum, the O.S.T. Restaurant, Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, the Hill Country State Natural Area, murals throughout the city, and more.
BEDC Member Laura Devenport said permit requests for all three signs have been submitted to the city, and two have thus far been approved.
Bandera City Council members weighed in last week on the sign at City Park, granting permission for its installation in a three to one vote, with Council Member Jeff Flowers opposed.
After Council Member Lynn Palmer motioned to approve the location, Flowers said he liked the idea of featuring museums and some other area attractions, but questioned why some businesses were listed, and others weren’t. Council Member Tony Battle reined in the conversation, stating the sign’s content was under the BEDC board’s purview.
“It’s the EDC sign, and it has been approved,” Battle said during the May 2 meeting. “The role of City Council is to come up with policy. We appointed EDC members to come up with a sign. They’ve done that.”
The next step is to obtain a quote from the city’s Public Works Department for the cost of installing bollards and the signs. Once prepared, Devenport and BEDC Board President Andrea Jankoski will present it to the board.
~ In other business, the board unanimously agreed to compose a resolution reestablishing board member terms and limits. After a couple of tumultuous years that included board dissolution and high member turnover, the record of who was appointed when and replacing whom has become difficult to trace.
“We really do not know who’s filling what term,” Jankoski said.
Although swear-in dates could be retrieved, Jankoski said it would be difficult to confirm whom new members were replacing, much less how much longer their term should be. In an effort to begin somewhere, she said previous bylaws outlined two-year terms, a maximum of six-year tenures, and staggered elections.
“The board was in abysmal shape,” BEDC Board Member Alan Arterbury said. “To be honest, we’ll probably never find out. We didn’t even have the correct number of officers...We’re fixing to start anew, with two new board members coming on. Let’s set a precedent now.”
Board members approved their next meeting date, May 22, as the final cut-off date for applications to be received for the vacant seats.