A sample address sign.
Bristol is the latest Western Kenosha County municipality to explore the installation of uniform address signs for every property in its boundaries.
But Bristol has a plan to at least try to get the project done without taxpayer money.
The Village Board on Monday approved Bristol Fire and Rescue Chief John Niederer to write a grant to cover 95 percent of the cost. The remaining 5 percent match would be paid by the Bristol Volunteer Fireman’s Association, Niederer said.
The signs typically are made of a reflective material and display the address for a property. They are installed in a similar place for all addresses, typically near the street. This helps police and fire personnel quickly find a specific address.
Similar signs have been installed in several nearby communities in recent years, including Paris, Salem, Brighton, Wheatland and Randall. Signs will be installed in Twin Lakes this year.
Village administrator Randy Kerkman estimated the coat of the entire project at about $60,000, at an individual rate of $30 a piece installed. That cost would mean the assocation would contribute about $3,000.
“There really would be no cost to the village,” Kerkman said, if the department wins the grant.
In recent local experience, the signs most often have been paid for by an assessment of some sort to the individual property owner. Trustee John McCabe praised Neiderer for taking a different approach in Bristol.
“I think what you’re doing is a great thing,” McCabe said to Niederer.
