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'Historic Willcox' billboard up on I-10 at Benson
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| City officials hope this billboard will bring more tourists to the city. (AINSLEE S. WITTIG/ARN) |
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
The first Historic Willcox billboard is up on I-10, on the west side of Benson.
City Manager Pat McCourt made the announcement to the Willcox City Council at its Aug. 16 meeting.
A deal the City of Willcox recently negotiated with Clear Channel provided the city with billboards; one on westbound I-10 between the Arizona/New Mexico state line and mile marker 341, and the other on eastbound I-10 between mile markers 270 and 340, McCourt said.
The council had held a work session June 21 to discuss a possible design for the two billboards. They later selected a "hybrid" of a couple of the proposed signs.
Clear Channel owns the two billboards. Their leases for billboards on city land ended Nov. 1, 2009, McCourt explained.
The city had been unsuccessful prior to the expiration in negotiating a new lease or extending the leases, he said.
After the expiration, the city notified Clear Channel to remove the billboards, and
"Since that time, there had been discussions, resulting in a short-term extension to May 31 on the two existing billboard sites," said McCourt.
City Council recently approved two leases, one for each of the sites on city land.
The leases are for a two-year period, chosen as the minimum, due to the expected life of the vinyl covering for the copy.
"The time frame will also allow us to see if there are unforeseen items that need to be corrected," McCourt said.
The city will receive compensation of the two out-of-town billboards, provided by Clear Channel to display the city's copy.
The Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture worked with the city to provide the script covering for each billboard, McCourt said.
Chamber Director Kathy Smith told the council that the Clear Channel company offered them its designer, who discussed various designs and concepts.
At the June 21 work session, consensus was reached that the Chamber Visitor Center at Exit 340 should be included on the billboards, that emphasis should be placed on the city's historic Western heritage, and that it should be kept simple and short and focus on Willcox.
City staff came up with three designs.
McCourt said the Chamber indicated they would provide funding for manufacturing the copy.
The city estimated a loss of revenue to the General Fund in the net amount of $1,200 per year, due to its deal with Clear Channel.
A couple of local wineries are also using a billboard to promote Willcox to travelers along the I-10.
"The billboard is a joint project of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards and Carlson Creek Vineyard," said Rod Keeling, co-owner of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards.
"It is part of an overall strategy that will attempt to establish Willcox as a wine destination to primarily a Tucson Metro area audience," he said.
"The Willcox Wine Country Committee of the Chamber is also working on several complementary projects like a four-time full page ad in the Tucson Guide magazine and a new website, www.willcoxwines.com, Keeling told the Range News.
The wineries' new billboard can be seen on the eastbound side of I-10 before the climb up Texas Canyon.
City Manager Pat McCourt made the announcement to the Willcox City Council at its Aug. 16 meeting.
A deal the City of Willcox recently negotiated with Clear Channel provided the city with billboards; one on westbound I-10 between the Arizona/New Mexico state line and mile marker 341, and the other on eastbound I-10 between mile markers 270 and 340, McCourt said.
The council had held a work session June 21 to discuss a possible design for the two billboards. They later selected a "hybrid" of a couple of the proposed signs.
Clear Channel owns the two billboards. Their leases for billboards on city land ended Nov. 1, 2009, McCourt explained.
The city had been unsuccessful prior to the expiration in negotiating a new lease or extending the leases, he said.
After the expiration, the city notified Clear Channel to remove the billboards, and
"Since that time, there had been discussions, resulting in a short-term extension to May 31 on the two existing billboard sites," said McCourt.
City Council recently approved two leases, one for each of the sites on city land.
The leases are for a two-year period, chosen as the minimum, due to the expected life of the vinyl covering for the copy.
"The time frame will also allow us to see if there are unforeseen items that need to be corrected," McCourt said.
The city will receive compensation of the two out-of-town billboards, provided by Clear Channel to display the city's copy.
The Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture worked with the city to provide the script covering for each billboard, McCourt said.
Chamber Director Kathy Smith told the council that the Clear Channel company offered them its designer, who discussed various designs and concepts.
At the June 21 work session, consensus was reached that the Chamber Visitor Center at Exit 340 should be included on the billboards, that emphasis should be placed on the city's historic Western heritage, and that it should be kept simple and short and focus on Willcox.
City staff came up with three designs.
McCourt said the Chamber indicated they would provide funding for manufacturing the copy.
The city estimated a loss of revenue to the General Fund in the net amount of $1,200 per year, due to its deal with Clear Channel.
A couple of local wineries are also using a billboard to promote Willcox to travelers along the I-10.
"The billboard is a joint project of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards and Carlson Creek Vineyard," said Rod Keeling, co-owner of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards.
"It is part of an overall strategy that will attempt to establish Willcox as a wine destination to primarily a Tucson Metro area audience," he said.
"The Willcox Wine Country Committee of the Chamber is also working on several complementary projects like a four-time full page ad in the Tucson Guide magazine and a new website, www.willcoxwines.com, Keeling told the Range News.
The wineries' new billboard can be seen on the eastbound side of I-10 before the climb up Texas Canyon.
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