Park board reviews sign quotes, affirms camera access and sets Feb. 2 start for entrance work

The Awendaw Municipal Park Foundation Board reviewed vendor bids for new park signage and received updates on recently installed security cameras and an approved entrance construction schedule at a special meeting Jan. 21.

Board members examined three sign proposals and a set of proofs included in a packet. The presenter said she will ask Vivid Designs to reissue a proof in a larger 3-by-5-foot size and requested board feedback on design, materials and pricing. She described Nelson Sign Company’s quote as a turnkey option because it includes poles and a graffiti-resistant finish; she also said Fast Signs/Sorama and Sign Design provided alternative quotes. "Nelson Sign Company includes the poles," she said, noting that added value when compared with firms that quote panels only.

The board discussed materials and installation methods. An ACM (aluminum composite material) panel was recommended by multiple vendors as a durable option; one contractor’s installation quote for a single sign was cited in the meeting as about $1,034, while another estimate for an installed sign from Sorama was placed at roughly $1,200. The presenter also noted low-cost retail alternatives for small, non-structural signs (an example price cited: Walmart $2.73 for a small sign and Amazon ~$11 for an 18x12 galvanized sign), but said the board’s preference was for a larger, durable park sign. The presenter said she would follow up with vendors to confirm whether concrete foundations would be required for poles and return updated proofs for the board to review before voting.

Town staff updated the board on benches and the park’s camera system. The town administrator said benches procurement will likely be delayed until the February meeting but that cameras are installed at gate one, gate two, gate three and a rear gate, are motion-activated and have solar power backups. "You’ve seen images taken from them. They’re clear," the town administrator said, adding that the town will provide the park board access to camera feeds via the town server so board members can review images and vendor performance.

The board also received a timeline update for an already-approved entrance project. Site work—grading and placement of rock for Parking/Entrance 1—was scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 2, with fencing and follow-up site tasks later in the week; 'Chris A.' was named as the coordinator for on-site work. The presenter said the project could be visible to the next town council meeting in February, though she called that timeline “hopeful.”

The board left the item open for follow-up: staff will obtain revised sign proofs with the larger size, confirm installation methods and concrete requirements with vendors, circulate camera access instructions for the board, and monitor entrance-site work as it begins Feb. 2.

The meeting moved on to other agenda items.