Committee approves village emergency directional signs near hospital, urges hospital to add private sign

The Public Works and Utility Committee voted Aug. 11 to install emergency directional signs in the village right-of-way near the hospital at the Franciscan Way–Ministry Parkway area and encouraged the hospital to add an emergency sign on private property to improve driver wayfinding.

Public works staff told the committee the hospital had requested additional signing because drivers approaching on Franciscan Way could not see the existing emergency signage. The staff member said the village must “follow the manual on uniform traffic control devices” when installing signs in the public right-of-way.

Committee members and the hospital representative debated sign color, placement and size. “The local president just asked me to escalate the concern,” Tracy Trout, identified in the meeting as a hospital representative, said. Some committee members said they preferred a more conspicuous “emergency” marking (red) on the hospital’s private sign; staff said red emergency markings would not meet MUTCD rules for village-owned signs but could be placed on private property. Committee members suggested placing MUTCD-compliant blue emergency medical care signs at or just before the Weston Avenue and Franciscan Way intersections, and mounting an additional emergency marker on the back of the hospital’s stop sign on private property so motorists stopped at the intersection see it.

Staff said the village could install a stacked configuration consisting of a 24-by-24-inch top sign, a 24-by-18-inch supplemental plaque and a 12-by-9-inch arrow plaque, and would check exact lettering size requirements. The committee agreed staff should also check sight lines, pole locations and tree canopy to avoid blocking stop signs.

The committee approved a motion to recommend that the village provide emergency signage at Weston Avenue and on Franciscan Way prior to the stop sign, installed according to applicable regulations, and to encourage the hospital to add an emergency sign on its property east of the Franciscan–Ministry intersection. The motion passed by voice vote; exact roll-call counts were not specified.

Committee members instructed staff to research MUTCD sizing and mounting options and to coordinate with the hospital before installation. Staff said the village would maintain any signs placed in its right-of-way and that maintenance responsibility for any private sign would remain with the hospital.

The committee emphasized clear, uncluttered placement to reduce driver confusion and asked staff to return with final locations, sizes and a plan to avoid blocking existing traffic controls.