LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — When people come to Lexington, they're met with a familiar sight: large, green, wayfinding signs. They help visitors and residents alike find the city's most popular attractions.
"It's kind of like rolling out the red carpet like, hey, we're glad that you're here if you," said Patrick Messer.
For Messer, the signs make you feel like you're in Lexington - but they won't be around for much longer. The Lexington City Council voted to remove the signs this week.
The signs were first installed before the 2010 Wold Equestrian Games. Come spring, all 77 signs will be removed, costing the city $55,000.
"They are like a part of the downtown especially it's like you walk and you expect to see like the signs," Will Hernandez said.
Council members said the city didn't budge for maintenance and repairs. Now, 15 years later, several of the signs are in rough shape. The base and bolts on some of these poles are also rusting.
The public work's commissioner says that leaving them up would be a safety risk, but for some residents, the familiar signage will be missed.
"Without the signs there really wouldn't be that sense of like 'Oh yep, I'm going the right way," Hernandez said.
The city is now working to design new signage that are hopefully easier to maintain and will stay safer, for longer.
