Highway sign issue brought to Council Posted On: Thursday, Oct. 29 2009 07:34 AM By Alicia Lacy
The Cove Herald

The 10-by-20 foot sign lays waiting for a permanent home.

At Monday's Copperas Cove City Council meeting, the council was given an update on the large, controversial sign that has been an issue in the city for the past couple of months by Dan Yancey, chairman of the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corp. board of directors.

The large $238,000 sign was part of an agreement between the Copperas Cove EDC and Cinergy Cinemas so the entertainment center would have exposure and visibility from U.S. Highway 190.

The digital sign was to be erected on the north side of U.S. Highway 190 on Fort Hood property after the CCEDC received approval from Fort Hood.

However, though the sign was on Fort Hood property, the CCEDC was required to receive approval of the sign and advertising permits from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The advertising permit was approved by TxDOT, but the sign application was not.

According to the CCEDC, Gus Cannon of TxDOT said the sign application was denied by TxDOT officials after reviewing a checklist and discovering that a digital sign could not be "located outside of an incorporated city limits."

Yancey told the council the CCEDC has three possible locations for the placement of the behemoth sign with the preferred location to be near the intersection of Constitution Drive and Highway 190.

The sign has been fabricated by the vendor and is ready to be posted, but until a home is found for the sign it will remain out of action.

After convoluted discussion on what action to take, the council decided to decline a $400,000 grant that was award by the Texas Parks and Wildlife last January that was to be used for a multipurpose recreation center.

For the recreation center to come to fruition, the voters would have had to pass an $8.6 million bond to fund the center.

The proposition was defeated during last November's general election leaving the future of the center unclear.

Following correspondence between the city and TPWD, officials from TPWD offered three options for the city — proceed with the original project and issuing the bonds, reduce the scope of the original project, or decline the grant and return the money to TPWD.

With time running out for the city to make a decision on the future of the project, the council decided to return the grant, which will make the city ineligible from any grants for two years City Manager Andrea Gardner said.

In other business, the council did not discuss the city's legal services.

Councilman Willie Goode motioned to postpone the discussion item until a full council was present. Councilmen Danny Palmer and Bill Stephens were absent from the meeting.

Contact Alicia Lacy at alacy@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7476.