Elk Grove's Invisible Eyesore Billboard; Where's The Kodachrome When You Need it?

June 19, 2015 | In the aftermath of tens-of-thousands-of-dollars paid to three current and one former Elk Grove City Council Members...


June 19, 2015 |

In the aftermath of tens-of-thousands-of-dollars paid to three current and one former Elk Grove City Council Members from billboard impresario and fast food developer Gil Moore, Elk Grove residents and travelers along Highway 99 now can see the first of several massive billboards planned for the city. This first-in-the-city is on the east side of Highway 99 between exits for Elk Grove Boulevard and Laguna Boulevard-Bond Road.

In brief, the sign is ugly and functionally useless - an invisible eyesore. No wonder billboard designer and owner Bruce Bishop of Monument Partners has only sold two of the nine panels available on the eyesore of a billboard to date. 

Like lots of things in life, the drawing presented for the 75-foot tall billboard looked adequate, and that is being generous, on paper, but in reality it is unsightly. Too bad we can't get our hands on some Kodachrome! 

Furthermore, as the video posted below demonstrates, the position of the sign and the unreadable panels render the monstrosity of a billboard useless from the perspective of the advertisers. So much for all the sales tax revenues Elk Grove City Council Member and billboards-as-public-art cheerleader Steve Detrick crowed about as he and his cohort gutted the hard fought billboard ordinance from six years earlier to keep this sort of visual blight from overrunning the city.  

No doubt the billboards Gil Moore will erect between the Sheldon Road and Laguna Boulevard-Bond Road exits will have better visibility. At that point Elk Grove will undoubtedly experience a boom in sales tax revenue like nothing ever experienced from all those hungry motorist drawn into Moore's one-of-its kind-development-in-California to get a Royale with Cheese, some gas and a G.I.Q. of Mickey's Malty Liquor from his beer cave.  

It's all good!

The sad part of this is that because of the egos and devotion to cash of our visionary city council - they never met a contributor with cash whose project's they didn't like -  motorist driving through will be unable to distinguish Elk Grove from any of the other milquetoast cities littered with tasteless billboards up and down Highway 99.

Oh yeah, where is Mayor Davis' "quirky" giant public art plastic elk?







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15 comments

Barney Gumble said...

I wonder how Steve Detrick will feel about Gil Moore's outlet once it actually opens adjacent to his exclusive gated community. All us beer-swilling drunks will add a certain ambiance to the neighborhood! Better double lock that gate!

When I grow up I wanna be a "stakeholder" said...

At the end of the day, the developers go home to Granite Bay, Folsom, Marin County, or wherever, and leave their creations behind for us to enjoy. You won't find jewels like this in their towns. Ka-Ching!

Anonymous said...

Honorable mention should go to the Planning Commission who detailed this specific problem (as well as others) as their reason to recommend disapproval. Planning Commission - Nailed it!

Connie said...

First up Dan, one of my favorite songs of all time by Crowded House!

I drove by the sign today on Hwy. 99 and you are right, it is dreadful. The owner vowed an aesthetically pleasing sign. Yeah, I know “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,” but there is no beauty to be found here whatsoever. Even Plato would say this sign is flat-out ugly!

So what’s it going to be with these monument signs, first one is hideous and by the size of the panels, I can’t see it being a business bonanza for the owners. Would be nice to know how much the business owners paid for a panel and how much their revenues increase in the next quarter over last year?

And now, unfortunately, now we have a constant reminder of government at its worst!

Anonymous said...

Elk Grove is going to end up worse than Stockton.

At least Stockton has an opera, symphony and many unique high quality local eateries to go along with their car jackings, gang shootings, armed robberies and panhandlers.

All Elk Grove will have are tacky billboards, fast food joints, liquor stores, check cashing outlets, vape stores, gun shops, shooting ranges, nail salons, massage parlors to go along with pot houses, armed robberies, street assaults, gang fights, machete brawls, etc.

Anonymous said...

"We can put the elk back in Elk Grove now."

http://www.elkgrovenews.net/2014/08/elk-topped-billboard-approved-mayor.html


Or how about, we can put the hick back in hick city.

Anonymous said...

If you're one of the businesses near this sign, just cool your heels for a few months and it will most likely come cheap. Poor excuse of a sign with little visibility will benefit no one. But then again, who makes a stopover in EG when you're 20 minutes from the city or just left the city?

















When I grow up I wanna be a "stakeholder" said...

Wait until all the freeway signs go up, along with the wayfinding signs on the surface streets. Between the signs and fast food joints, we're gonna look like this:

http://global-conferences.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/21.jpg

Anonymous said...

I can look past the sign being ugly but it's not even functional. I drove by going north and had 5 seconds after seeing the sign before passing the exit. Going south forget about it. You can't read the panels until you cross under the overpass well past the exit. Even if you were looking for well known symbols like golden arches you have no chance.

I suspect this particular sign will fail and they'll come back to the PC or Council requesting larger panels reducing the number of panels from 9 to 4 or 6.

Anonymous said...

Why did Bruce Bishop of Monument Partners make such a horrible decision in locating this sign where is was not highly visable to North and South travelers and easily read? Hopefully they are not designing the other signs to be located along 99...we're going to be the laughing stock of the county.

Anonymous said...

Finally had a look at this yesterday...what a freaking mess our city council made in rubber stamping that idea. Of course when you sit up there on the dias with that big $$ hook in your mouth that's what we get.

Anonymous said...

Just what I'd stop for......a car wash! Got to get that Valley dust off before getting back to the Bay, Tahoe, Napa....ect

The wrong end of the karma stick said...

I wonder what Detrick thinks of his legacy.....butt ugly monument signs, FPPC investigations, FPPC fines for misappropriation/misuse of campaign money just to name a few of his top 10 hits.

He had better hope his pal Moore puts in garbage cans or the Micky D's trash will be flying into his exclusive compound. Wouldn't that be a hoot??!!! Detrick calling Code Enforcement on his pal!!!

Anonymous said...

Anon. 11:06....My thought exactly. Exactly what I would be looking for as I'm cruising down 99 on my travels...a car wash. That must have been a freebie.

Anonymous said...

When is this train wreck going to end?

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