National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 17th through the 21st and Monday evening members of the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety approved the request of the Benjamin JW Fisher Memorial Foundation to have banners placed on the poles in the downtown area and in River Park Square.
Jo Fisher from the Ben Fisher Foundation asked the board to permit specially made banners to be placed for the month of April on the poles in the downtown where the city displayed the veterans’ banners last year. The banners are to make people aware of Work Zone Awareness and would have a logo sponsor at the bottom of each banner. She also asked to be able to place ribbons on the trees and light poles along north and south Michigan Streets in the residential areas.
Councilman Jeff Houin asked if the foundation would be providing the banners and Fisher said yes. He also asked if contact had been made with Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt because his staff oversees the change-out of the banners for the seasons and holidays and she said again said yes. Fisher said Park Superintendent Mike Hite has also approved of placing the banners on the poles in River Park Square.
When questioned about the ribbons, Fisher said initially they just wanted to tie orange ribbons on the trees and lamp poles on Michigan Street but then she felt like it was wasteful. To Go Green she told them she would like to place a corrugated ribbon signboard instead that could be used annually. Superintendent Marquardt wanted to shy away from the trees and the recommendation was made to stagger the signboards on the decorative light poles using zip-ties. Fisher said she has volunteers that will help place the ribbon signboards on the light poles.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the request with the Street Department to place the banners on the downtown poles and volunteers to place the ribbon signs on North and South Michigan Streets.
