By Mark Cowling
Florence Reminder Blade-Tribune
A month after approving an electronic bulletin board at Main Street and Butte Avenue, the council on Monday voted 5-2 to rescind that action.
The council may choose another monument sign at a later date to appear in conjunction with the new bank building on that corner.
Council member Tara Walter asked that the sign return to Monday’s agenda after she received a few phone calls from citizens. She said some thought an electronic message center might be better on Arizona 79 than in the historic district.
Vice Mayor Tom Smith repeated his earlier concerns that the sign approved Dec. 3 violates historic district codes. He said the town told the hardware store it could not have a digital sign, “but the town can do whatever it wants.” He noted at 6 1/2 feet, the sign was also taller than code allows.
Although the bank will cover part of the estimated cost, “it’s a lot of money for a sign,” Smith said.
Mayor Tom Rankin agreed, “I made the mistake of voting for the sign.” But he also said to him, “Historic Florence” is the 1950s and ’60s, when Main Street was bustling and all the businesses had neon signs.
