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Museum seeks town help to fund off-site electronic sign; board will review safety and code
Summary
A representative of the William Moran Museum asked Middletown to contribute toward a two-sided digital sign sited outside town limits and offered to carry town messages in exchange; the board asked staff to verify SHA safety requirements and requested a Planning Commission review before deciding by the end of the month.
A representative of the William Moran Museum asked the Burgess and Commissioners of Middletown on Jan. 8 to consider contributing toward the purchase of a two-sided, 4-foot-by-8-foot digital sign the museum plans to place on its property along Alternate 40, outside the town limits. The museum offered to rotate town messages on the sign to promote local events and to display emergency notices in exchange for a contribution.
The presenter told the board the sign will display static images in rotation and said informal traffic counts taken at the site showed roughly 800–1,000 vehicles passing the property per hour. Town staff said the sign would be used primarily for museum events and classes but could carry town notices.
Why it matters: The proposal would put a town-funded messaging capability on private property outside Middletown’s jurisdiction, raising questions about traffic safety, regulatory compliance and precedent for funding off‑site signage.
Town officials asked staff to check whether the proposed sign meets State Highway Administration (SHA) safety requirements, particularly with respect to traffic sight lines and street closures used during events. The board noted that the town already rents variable-message signs (VMS) at each end of town for Main Street closures and traffic detours and asked whether the new sign would duplicate those functions.
The minutes record that the Planning Commission had been asked to review how this type of sign aligns with the town code and provide an opinion. The board thanked the presenter for the demonstration and said it would discuss the request and make a decision by the end of the month.
Next steps: Staff will confirm SHA safety requirements and provide the Planning Commission’s opinion; the Burgess and Commissioners expect to decide on the request by the end of January.
