By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – If you or your organization have tried to get a banner hung over Front Street in Port Angeles in the last couple of years, you know that it’s no longer an option.

After trying and failing to get a banner hung to announce this year’s KONP Home Show, we set out to find out why, and if there’s anything that can be done about it.

We learned from Parks Director Corey Delikat that the City can’t legally hang the banners themselves, because City employees aren’t allowed to work near power lines, according to Labor and Industries. It has to be contracted out. Until 2021, that contractor was Mike Millar, owner of ASM Signs, but he retired, and the banner rentals program was suspended.

Delikat says that in November of 2021, the City issued a lengthy Request for Proposals in hopes of finding a vendor for banner installation and removal, but didn’t get any viable responses.

What’s required for the job? The 2021 RFP says respondents must have been in the banner installation and removal business for at least 3 years. The selected Contractor will provide banner installation at a height of 35 feet above ground, banner removal, transport services, equipment, and traffic control.

As for the pay, the 2021 contract award was for the budget amount of $12,220 plus tax. But it says any additional costs, such as additional requests by the Parks & Rec Department or repairs needed shall be billed separately.

Sound interesting? Contact Robert Merritt, Facility Rental Coordinator, at rmerritt@cityofpa.us.