Ouray business owners and residents threw up a symbolic stop sign in front of the city council on Monday, urging city leaders to pause or altogether abandon plans to install dozens of new wayfinding signs throughout the city.
One by one, a total of nine citizens addressed city councilors for more than 30 minutes to criticize the size, height and appearance of the maroon signs installed on Main Street at the end of June.
The signs are part of the first phase of a three-phase wayfinding project, in which the city has agreed to spend roughly $800,000 to install 61 signs of various sizes pointing residents and visitors to assorted landmarks around the city. These include tourist attractions, restrooms and government buildings. Councilors voted in August 2024 to spend $300,833 to build and install 22 signs in the first phase. That amounts to $13,674 per sign.
The signs were designed by Denver graphic designer Tangram Design and manufactured by Minneapolis- based Archtype Signmakers.
City Administrator Michelle Metteer told the Plaindealer on Tuesday she asked on June 30 for production of the second phase to be put on hold until Tangram visits Ouray later this month, prompted by concerns expressed by council, staff and the public. She said she asked Tangram to review both the size and color of the signs.
Resident Paul Smith said the new sign design may have looked functional on paper but in reality dominates the street and sidewalk. He called the signs “disproportionately large, out of place and inconsistent” with the charm of Ouray.
He also pointed out the city plans to spend more on the new signs than it did to purchase a building to house the police department. The council in April agreed to buy a two-story building at 333 Sixth Ave. for $675,000 with the intent of converting it into a police station and temporary employee housing.
At a time when many residents are concerned about basic city infrastructure and housing, Smith said, “this kind of spending feels disconnected from the needs and values of this community.”
Resident Dolgio Nergui said she has been paying attention to the wayfinding project since the city began hosting open houses and meetings with Tangram a few years ago. She said she was surprised by the color, size, scale and placement of the signs.
“As much as I hate to see this money go to waste, I think the signs need to be significantly modified or reconsidered entirely,” she said.
Resident John Nixon claimed the signs violate the city’s own sign code, pointing out the code prohibits any part of a sign from being less than 10 feet above ground over city right-of-way unless the city grants special approval. He said he measured the signs and they stand just shy of 7 feet above the sidewalk.
“You guys really blew it on this,” he told the council, adding he doesn’t want “another dime of my money spent on these signs.”
“Call Steamboat or Snowmass, Mountain Village, see if they can relabel them and use them,” he said.
Resident and business owner Lorah Carrie complained that one sign refers to the Ouray County Historical Society as the “Hist Society.”
“What is the ‘hist society’?” she asked. She also wondered why the city didn’t retain a local business to design or manufacture the signs.
Mayor Ethan Funk said the project was put out to bid and no local businesses responded.
“They’re too big, they’re ugly. I’m done,” Carrie said. Resident Susette Warynick claimed residents weren’t given an accurate picture of what the signs would look like because no full-scale model was ever provided.
She said she figured the signs would have a Victorian appearance to them to match the architecture in Ouray.
“I hate these signs,” she said. “The city has sold their soul to the commercial tourism industry in Ouray, and those of us who live here don’t like it.”
Funk told residents during Monday’s meeting the project was running behind and that he didn’t know when the signs would be installed until a month beforehand.
Councilor Tamara Gulde noted she and fellow councilors, along with Metteer, were attending a Colorado Municipal League conference in Breckenridge when the signs were put into place the weekend of June 27. She said she was “shocked” when she returned to town June 29.
She vowed the city will address the problem and be transparent in how it does so.
“We are going to investigate this. We are going to take care of this,” Gulde said.
“I assure you this is a big deal and we’re not happy about it either. We’re going to make an effort to fix this and you will know what we are doing.”
Some related stories we’ve previously published:
Ouray nixes Denver firm’s lower bid
Vote to spend more on signs postponed
Citizens criticize plan to spend $300K on new signs
