Downtown kiosk planned

The numerous posters haphazardly taped to any available space in town by various city-wide organizations may be a sign of the times, according to Chamber of Commerce Director Priscilla Steinberg.

"I've been around here for 40 years, and this is pretty new. I don't remember there being so many organizations in the past," Steinberg said.

Oberlin city officials may soon be undertaking a town-wide clean-up process in accordance with a city ordinance concerning the illegality of defacing public property, which many College, public school and townsperson organizations have been ignoring for years, according to Steinberg.

People have long advertised events via paper signs placed on buildings, sidewalks, trees and utility poles.

Steinberg said her office has received complaints from various members of the community who resent the placement of the signs. One problem with posting signs on sidewalks, she said, is that the papers become wet when it rains or snows and people slip on them as a result.

One possible solution foreseen by Steinberg and other officials, including City Manager Robert DiSpirito, is the establishment of a centralized town kiosk upon which all organizational signs could be posted.

"It [too many signs hung around town] has been a major problem," Steinberg said. "My job is to bring people to Oberlin and to love it. It's a very attractive town-when you stand back and take a look at it, it's a really pretty downtown. The signs really detract from it; when I see these signs for an event, I don't want to go to it."

"The kiosk is more of an idea more than anything at this point," Dispirito said. "People were talking about putting some sort of glass-encased showcasing kiosk in the Northwest corner of Tappan Square, but nothing's definite yet."

The goal of officials is to provide something "attractive and large, which would be kept up by someone from the City," Steinberg said.

Officials hope to establish the kiosk by the end of the semester.