The Gary Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved a more than $58,000 contract for illuminated signage at its Wednesday meeting, after addressing a resident’s concerns.

The contract between the city and Signal Technologies Inc. will pay the company no more than $58,825 to install illuminated signs along the downtown corridor. The contract lasts through Dec. 18, 2025.

Christopher Harris, executive director of the Redevelopment Commission, said the signs will be located between Fourth and Eighth Avenues and Broadway.

Harris called the contract an opportunity to invest in the city’s downtown.

“If you’re familiar with communities surrounding our city, you might have seen business corridors that have illuminated signage that’s large and very easy to see for motorists,” Harris told commission board members. “As we prepare to redevelop the downtown corridor, the mayor has been very intentional to show signs of progress and showing reinforcement in our downtown.”

The new signs will be blue, which Harris said is the color Gary Mayor Eddie Melton recommended. Signs will also be branded with the city’s logo, which is inspired by nearby cities including Chesterton and Valparaiso, Harris said.

In addition to new signage, city officials are investing in downtown through blight elimination. At Gary Common Council’s final 2024 meeting, members approved a $3 million spending plan for blight elimination in the transportation district, which centers around the Adam Benjamin Metro Center in the city’s downtown.

The city will use American Rescue Plans Act funds to match funds from Senate Bill 434, which Melton helped create as a state senator in 2023. The bill established the blighted property demolition fund and allows the city to receive $6 million from the state for blight elimination.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Agency has $6 million set aside for blight elimination, which will be reimbursed by the state. RDA will receive $3 million in the current fiscal year and $3 million after July 1, according to Post-Tribune archives.

Investing in downtown is important for the city, Harris said Wednesday.

“(The signage) will provide the downtown corridor with a much more completed look,” he added.

During the commission board meeting’s public comment, Gary resident Jim Nowacki expressed concerns with the illuminated signage contract. The city wasn’t clear on what the signs would look like, Nowacki said, and he didn’t want them to be flashing.

“It can cause accidents,” Nowacki said, “and these accidents might injure (people) may die because of the illuminated signage that the city is contemplating.”

City ordinances restrict certain illuminated signs, Nowacki said, and he encouraged commission board members to make sure this project complies before passing.

Before the vote, Vice President Darren Washington asked Harris to confirm that the signs won’t have strobes or be flashing. Harris confirmed the signs won’t, and the illumination will help motorists see.

Gary has a growing aging population, Harris said, so the signage will make the streets safer for older residents.

“We want all corridors to be safe for motorists,” Harris said.

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com