Building committee backs Option 1 for Middletown monument sign, asks minor lettering adjustment

The Middletown School Building Committee recommended forwarding Option 1 of the proposed monument sign to the school committee with a change to raise the word "Middletown" slightly to provide more breathing room, members said Wednesday.

Matt, the project architect, presented two modified sign options and described the changes the committee asked for after an on-site visit. "We moved the town emblem down on the option number 1 ... The sign got a little bit longer, and, to accommodate that move of the emblem down," Matt said during the presentation.

Committee members debated balance and visibility. One committee member said Option 2 felt "bottom heavy" and asked that the Middletown lettering be centered higher on both options. After discussion, several members raised hands in support of Option 1. At one point the meeting recorded a hand-count split; members later characterized the recommendation as the committee's record recommendation to the school committee: Option 1 with the Middletown lettering moved up a bit.

Facilities Director Ed Collins and other building representatives cautioned that lowering the town emblem too far could reduce visibility for drivers because landscaping and plantings near grade might obscure a lower emblem. "If you dropped it down, it might run the risk of not being seen because there will be some plantings around it," a project representative said.

The building committee’s recommendation will be transmitted to the full school committee for final review and approval as part of signage and site documents.