Wayfinding system issues begin to arise

A new, free downtown Wi-Fi service being investigated by the Downtown Improvement District needs to be examined further by city officials before the the DID proceeds with it, DID’s operations manager said.
Delray Beach-based Blueweb Mobile Media has proposed setting up and building a Wi-Fi system at no cost to the city. It would be free to users.

All the city would be responsible for, according to Blueweb CEO Daniel Kinney, would be the 42-inch flat-screen televisions mounted to the front of merchants’ buildings. Those TVs, which would act as virtual wayfinding screens, cost $12,500 apiece; 6-foot high information kiosks are also available for $11,500 apiece. The kiosks could replace those on each quadrant of St. Armands Circle.

Upon further review, DID Operations Manager John Moran said the city must investigate whether Blueweb can supply the entire system without any help from outside vendors.

“If they can’t,” Moran said, “the city must also take bids for vendors that share revenue.”

Moran said the DID will also be investigating whether it can receive income from Blueweb, which has tentatively agreed to give the district a 20% interest in the profits of the system.

Kinney is proposing 25 interactive signs throughout downtown, but he said the system could include as few as a dozen signs and as many as 36.

However, the city must solicit competitive bids for any service that has shared revenue, just as it had to do for the valet parking service at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center and the towing truck companies it uses.

Another issue revolves around the placement of the signs on buildings.

“Although there would be a touch-sensitive film adhered to the outside of a storefront, technology needs to be placed on the inside of the building or window where the wayfinding screen is placed,” Moran said. “We need to make sure that’s doable.”

The third issue that’s already been discussed is whether the wayfinding system would violate the city’s sign code.

The code wouldn’t allow the signs to flash constantly.

To avoid an amendment to the city’s sign code, Moran said the city could work with Kinney to create virtual signs that would move only when they are touched. When the signs aren’t being used, the city’s logo could be displayed.

Moran said the DID also wants to monitor the effectiveness of a similar system Blueweb has installed in Delray Beach. A test wayfinding screen will be up and running there this week after a delay; Moran wants to confer about it with Delray Beach officials before moving forward in Sarasota.

“We will let Delray Beach be the guinea pig and make our determinations upon successful operations before we proceed with any decisions,” Moran said.

A 25-sign system would cost the city approximately $312,500, while a 12-sign system would cost approximately $150,000.

The Sarasota City Commission would have the final say on the proposed system.