Neon signs now allowed in store windows in Towanda Boro

BY JAMES LOEWENSTEIN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: January 11, 2010

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TOWANDA - Towanda Borough now allows neon signs in store windows.

The Towanda Borough Council has amended its sign ordinance to allow internally-illuminated signs in showroom windows, said Towanda Borough Council President Mark Christini.

However, the signs cannot flash and the words of the sign cannot "move" across the sign, he said. Also, the signs cannot be more than 25 square feet, according to the amendment to the ordinance that was passed.

Showroom windows are "basically windows facing the street where merchants often display merchandise," he said.

The ordinance was amended due to the fact that there had been merchants who were displaying internally-illuminated "open" signs in the windows of their businesses, which were either neon or fluorescent, Christini said.

"They were not really allowed under the old sign ordinance," he said. "So the clause was added to make the ordinance more beneficial to the downtown merchants, so that they can have 'open' signs."

The amendment, which the council passed at its November meeting, allows internally-illuminated signs in showroom windows in districts zoned business and districts zoned manufacturing, he said.

Until the amendment was passed, businesses could not use internally-illuminated signs, he said.

However, some downtown businesses, including bars, have had neon signs in their windows for many years, "My guess is that those signs were already in place" when the borough banned internally illuminated signs years ago, so those neon signs would have been "grandfathered," or allowed to remain in place, Christini said.

The amendment passed in November also allows businesses' wall signs to have larger logos, pictures and letters, he said.

The logos, pictures and letters on those signs, which previously could be up to 18 inches high, can now be up to 36 inches high, Christini said. The change in the height restriction applies to businesses in commercial and manufacturing zones, he said.

The height restriction was changed after the borough received "a few requests from businesses who said they would like to use letters more than 18 inches high," Christini said.

"We've responded to the downtown merchants and made the downtown a little more business-friendly," Christini said.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

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19 posted comments

I tried submitting my comments via smoke signal but sadly this small town messenger service is no longer available. I remember walking uphill through 3 feet of snow to send a smoke signal when I was younger, nowadays you kids send "emails" and "texts". What is becoming of our small town? First its neon signs, next thing you know, instead of walking, people will be zipping around with jetpacks strapped to their backs.
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Old enough to know better,  01/13/10 7:09
Much ado about nothing. Main Street isn't some sort of Quaker community, and I don't think we'll magically see a late night combat zone with flashing signs and crowds of perverts due to a couple neon signs either. How about Bishop's new sign in Ulster? "MEATLOAF"
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Beard,  01/13/10 6:23
Maybe I'm old and out of touch, but I remember a time, not too long ago, when there were eight or ten "pubs" along main street, all with their neon beer signs in the window. It didn't make the town look trashy, and it helped you find a bar. Downtown Towanda has undergone an amazing transformation over the intervening years, and through the efforts of some dedicated people, has become very visually appealing. Neon signs, visible only after dark, are not going to ruin the scene. Let's not lose touch with our roots. This is a small town. Neon signs don't detract from a small town atmosphere. And they make it easier to find a bar.
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Morgan,  01/12/10 6:38
The outrage over this is comical, especially given BC's political leanings. Let businesses run whatever signage they please; patrons will show their approval/disapproval with their money.
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Small Gov't?,  01/12/10 5:20
Oh my...are we coming into the 21st centry?? It's about time!!
I for one look for a lit sign to see if an establishment is open...dark, then you must be closed. This will make it so much easier when driving thru Towanda.
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Sylvia Ellis of Standing Stone,  01/12/10 3:31
Come on, people. Let's transform the bridge, too! Why stop just with our business district. Picture the beauty of a neon surround for each of the petunia planter boxes. And who could find red, white, and blue neon lights running the length of each flag pole other than inspirational! Folks would come from miles away to see that. I am with the Towanda Borough Council on this. We need to consign tradition to the garbage dump, where it belongs. Bring on the neon!! Neon lights everywhere will put things right, convey the proper impression, and let outsiders know how highly we regard our town. This has been the problem with Towanda all along: We have too little neon lighting. Thank goodness, finally the fix is in!!
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Andrea Wiley,  01/12/10 10:27
I don't like this. I don't like what is happening to Towanda and I don't like what is happening to my county. We are going in the wrong direction. I assume money must be at the root of this. But I'm with the majority that's not benefiting. Those who wish to transform Towanda into a neon lighted paradise, so they can line their pockets, are reprehensible. They are besotted and saturated with greed and avarice. They contribute nothing whatsoever to the common good. They weigh on us and drag us down.
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Bob Foldvary,  01/12/10 10:13
Everyone already knew it. But this decision by the Towanda Borough Council confirms it: Towanda, and indeed all of Bradford County, is circling the drain. At least now, as we all are impelled ever downward, that drain pipe will be lighted in neon. I could not be more reassured!!
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Davis McKenzie,  01/12/10 9:59
I would love to attend council meetings. Please tell me where I can receive an agenda ahead of time so that I know what meetings to attend to voice my opinions on issues that matter to me. How about a dial-in phone number so that I can listen to the meetings and voice my opinion over the phone.

Just a suggestiion, but all council meeting agendas should be published in the local newspaper ahead of time so that members of the community can decide whether or not to attend.

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Meeting Expert,  01/12/10 9:44
while i think allowing the ordinace to pass with the 25 sq ft rule (I mean really? That is a 5 x 5 sign) I do think this is an OK move not wothy of alot of negative attention. Yes towanda is a quiant little town. The signs must not flash or scroll that takes alot of the tacky signs out of play. Alot of these buisisses sit under an awning and are sometimes difficult to tell when ther open or have internal lights on. Besides since most of the businesses in towanda are bars or lawyers...there should not be too many signs up. All the griping about stripping away the Small Town identity is perhaps a little misguided. Although i would prefer to be able to shop local and small town, times have changed. to be honest the last tiem i was home i fell that all of the layers, tax preparers, insirance agents etc are taking up that valuable store frontage that you all are worried about loosing. I can't imagine anyone would want to come to laywerville and tour the endless legal eagle offices. there is the real issue for you... If you want a vision of what Towanda PA could really look like...google Boerne tx. They capitalized on this hometown feeling and used it to their advantage (and they even allow neon)
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Soapbox,  01/12/10 9:41
People like to comment here where there comments are viewed by more people. Don't worry, civic leaders read these and know what the people think of their decisions.
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Great forum for commenting,  01/12/10 5:40
I was wondering what happened to that ordinance that was passed a while back and reported upon in this paper about Towanda requiring signs to look somewhat historical in design. I thought the town was going for the quaint historical look. This new neon is ok ordinance seems to differ with that approach. I'd like to know if the historical kick is over, or if the two policies are in force at the same time.

Neon is a pretty old technology - maybe we're going for the 50's look and still calling it historical!

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Rock n Roll 50's Girl,  01/12/10 5:37
Maybe stop whining on here and go do something about it at a council meeting. Its our town, its our Main St., and our borough.
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Ian,  01/11/10 10:02
C-H-E-E-S-E-Y!
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Mr. McCheesey!,  01/11/10 4:50
This decision by the Council sends a message. Neon signage attracts a certain type and class of customer. It deflects, repulses, and offends other more traditionally oriented customers. So now we know the type of customers the Towanda Borough Council wishes to attract to their town. I disagree with their decision. But it is their town, to do with as they please.
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Ben Skivens,  01/11/10 1:55
Twenty-five square foot NEON signs in store windows!! What are these people thinking??!

I love on Halloween when the kids are allowed to decorate the store windows. I can hardly wait to see how it looks next time with huge neon signs back lighting all the Halloween artwork. This is not merely nuts. This is IN-sane!!!!!!!!!

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Jacob Welton,  01/11/10 1:46
Kudos to the Towanda Borough Council. No longer will anyone confuse Towanda with a family friendly, traditional, old Pennsylvania town. Neon is transformational. And Towanda is, and will continue to be, on the receiving end of the transformation is so fervently desires.
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Patty Ota,  01/11/10 1:40
I applaud Towanda's potentates for their creativity and boldness. They have paved the way for their town to become the Las Vegas of Bradford County. Cross that beautiful bridge with the traditional flags and petunias, then enter into a neon paradise. What could be more traditional than neon! Also, neon is a gas. How appropriate for what this entire county today has become!!

Yes, with such leadership Towanda is destined to go far. We're not talking tourists here. They are the past and we have moved beyond them. We are talking a neon-lighted must-visit destination to spark and inspire all those gas rush workers. By the hundreds they will appear on Friday and weekend nights, adding life and glamor to a formerly drab town. How wonderful!

With neon addressed and in the rear view mirror, we must look ahead. Gambling is legal in Pennsylvania. I suggest Towanda's town fathers next apply to Harrisburg for permission to inaugurate this county's first gambling saloon . . . with neon lights in the windows, of course. Everybody step right up: Drinks are on the Towanda Borough Council!!

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Nolonger Wholesome,  01/11/10 1:08
Is it possible Towanda is actually going to allow their merchants to compete in the 21st century? I don't believe it.
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Wow,  01/11/10 8:08