Watchfire® Case Study: Watch What Happens.
MUNICIPAL :: Shawnee Township Offices - Shawnee Township,
OH
Background
Shawnee Township is a close-knit community located near
Lima, Ohio. They have about 12,000 engaged residents who like to
know what's going on in town, so effective communication is
important. For many years, they had a wooden sign that quickly
showed age and wear. It required frequent painting and maintenance,
and it didn't allow for sending messages to residents. When they
first replaced the wooden sign, they chose a traditional letter
board thinking it would fit the bill. But the letter board became
cumbersome and inefficient when employees would have to change
messages frequently.
Results
After trying to make the letter board work for a few years, Missy
Van Meter, administrative assistant for Shawnee Township, decided
to look into an LED
sign. She knew that it would not only make changing messages so
much easier, but it would also attract more attention, ultimately
getting important messages out to more residents. She was right. As
soon as their first Watchfire LED sign was up, residents began
calling to comment on the sign. They loved it! The sign was an
instant success.
"The main goal of the sign was to reach
more people with messages
about township information and events, and the sign most
definitely
delivers…It's fantastic, and we're thrilled with the
outcome."
- Missy Van Meter, Administrative Assistant, Shawnee
Township
:: SIGN SPECS ::
19mm Color LED
Matrix: 32 X 96
4 Lines x 19 Characters
29" High x 6'3"' Wide
Case Study
Missy Van Meter made it her mission to replace Shawnee Township's
traditional letter board with a new LED sign. After researching
different sign companies, she decided that a Watchfire digital LED
sign was exactly what they needed. "One sign dealer brought out a
demo truck with two signs, and they were so vivid, we were
convinced." She picked the sign design she wanted right then and
there.
The Shawnee Township complex houses police, fire, dispatch, roads,
and administration. The sign benefits all of those groups, which
made it an easy sell. It didn't take long to convince the board of
directors that an LED sign would benefit them in two ways: it would
allow them to quickly and easily communicate important messages to
the residents, and it would reduce the number of calls the
administration office receives with questions about things like
brush pick-up, fire hydrant maintenance, policies and more.
"The sign went up in September 2010, and it was beautiful! I
knew right away we'd made the right decision when we went
with a Watchfire digital sign. Within a short time, we received
more than 100 calls from residents complimenting us on it! It's
also so easy to program and change messages, which is a huge
benefit. That sign was my baby, and I just adored it."
We say "was" because on January 25, 2011, they lost their sign to
an auto accident. "The sign was totaled, and I mean completely.
Repair wasn't an option. The only thing we could do was replace
it," Van Meter said.
After the accident took out the sign, people started calling
wondering where the sign was. Some people even commented on the
township's new Facebook page. One woman wrote, "Sure miss that
sign…."
Van Meter and the board decided to turn lemons into lemonade. They
upgraded the totaled sign with an even bigger Watchfire sign. On
April 5, 2011, they installed the second sign. According to Van
Meter, it has been great. "The main goal of the sign was to reach
more people with messages about township information and events,
and the sign most definitely delivers. If I had my way, I'd have an
even bigger sign out there. It's fantastic, and we're thrilled with
the outcome."
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