Updating of Signs to Be Considered

In its continuing efforts to boost tourism, the Ventura City Council is scheduled to decide Monday whether to purchase new signs directing people to the city’s recreational and historical landmarks.

Ventura’s Community Affairs Commission and Tourism and Special Events Committee have recommended that the city spend $6,300 to update decade-old signs posted near the city’s tourist attractions.

“It is updating them and reviewing their locations,” said Everett Millais, director of community services.

The city’s total budget for signs is $22,000, and another $6,300 is needed to make the changes this year, according to Millais’ report to the council.

The new signs would replace the blue and white signs depicting a sailboat that point to attractions such as the Ventura Pier and Ventura Harbor.

The new signs would be multicolored, larger and posted in additional sites on freeways and city streets. Business owners on Seaward Avenue, for instance, have been pushing for new signs to the Pierpont beach area and would be included in the program.

In a separate action Monday night, council members will also be asked whether they would support the installation of a billboard on city-owned land off the Ventura Freeway near Johnson Drive.

The Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau wants the sign to advertise the city to passing motorists.

But Ventura leaders have traditionally opposed billboards. A new billboard has not been erected in the city limits for 15 years, Millais said.

“The city of Ventura by and large severely restricts where billboards can go,” he said.

The issue before the council Monday is not whether to approve the billboard, which would require a zoning change and conditional-use permit, but whether the city should even consider the proposal.