Bessemer DDA gives OK to banners

By CHARITY SMITH

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Bessemer — The Bessemer Downtown Development Authority decided Wednesday to allow the Bessemer Area School District to hang senior banners on light poles around the city again this year if the district chooses.

“Last year, just the community feedback, it was fantastic,” said DDA member Kady Meinke. “It was good seeing the kids pictures up there. It really brought a sense of community to our high-schoolers.”

Fellow DDA member Cheryl Leskoviansky agreed, saying that she thought it was a good idea.

City Manager Charly Loper pointed out that the school has 39 students graduating this year, but the city only has 32 poles. She said the school will have to “get a little creative with some of them.”

District superintendent Dan Niemi said that the district is still deciding if it wishes to do banners again this year, or to use lawn signs with pictures of the graduates. However, he said the school is leaning towards the banners.

“We need to find somebody that’s going to hang them, because last year we were up there on a ladder and it wasn’t all that safe,” Niemi said. “As of right now, I think we’re leaning 60-40 towards the banners. I’d like to get the banners, I think they look sharp.”

He said the district will be reaching out to a couple of tree service companies to see if they will assist with hanging and removing the banners.

In order to hang banners, the DDA voted to order new brackets for the city poles. The DDA chose to purchase the brackets from Sign World for $1,040.

“We’ve had a lot of issues with brackets snapping and so we’ve found some that we think won’t snap right away,” said Loper.

The DDA voted unanimously to allow the school to hang the senior banners, but determined they must have them taken down by the second week of June to allow the city to hang its new “BEssemer” banners in time for the Bessemer Blast Fourth of July celebration.

However, the school cannot hang banners until the new brackets are installed. Loper said she isn’t sure when the brackets will arrive but indicated they have already been shipped.

In other action, the DDA board heard:

—The city received an order of parking stops, which will be installed on Mary Street, across from The Pit Stop.

—Loper is looking into finding ways to illuminate the city signs at night and is looking for ideas or suggestions on how to do so.

—Christmas lights have been ordered.