Adams Outdoor Advertising is hoping that the Urbana City Council will pass an ordinance allowing them to replace a few traditional billboards with more modern, digital ones.

Under the new ordinance, Adams Outdoor Advertising would be able to construct digital displays that promote businesses in 10-second increments. The board’s 300-square-foot displays would be subject to safety guidelines imposed by state and federal legislatures that prohibit images that blink, flash, slide, scroll or show video.

“It has to be an instant transition (between images),” said Cain Kiser, real estate manager at Adams Outdoor Advertising.

City Planning Manager Robert Myers said that under city ordinances, Urbana only has room for seven new billboards to be constructed. He also warned the council that once the billboards go up, it would be difficult for the city to have them removed.

Kiser said the advertising firm was looking to convert three or four billboards in Urbana to digital displays if the ordinance passed. Because they are so expensive to install and maintain, he said, Adams Outdoor Advertising is only interested in placing them in high-traffic areas where they already have billboards in place.

“We are looking to have one on each main artery into Urbana: Cunningham, North Lincoln and University (avenues),” he said

Urbana resident Scotty Dossett voiced concerns about digital billboards to the City Council on Oct. 14.

Dossett said he was skeptical about “what kind of foot in the door” Adams Outdoor Advertising was looking for. He also expressed concerns about corporate influence on the City Council and the impact these signs would have on motorists.

“We lost somebody on campus last week, and I know that wasn’t related to anything like this, but I’m really concerned about the environment that we create here,” he said.

Carol Ammons, Ward 3, whose district is bordered by Cunningham, N. Lincoln and University avenues, said she wasn’t necessarily opposed to the ordinance, but she’d like to see community members come together to find an agreement.

“There needs to be more conversation between the two sides. We want the best for the businesses, and we also want the best for the motorists and the residents,” she said.

Kiser said he encouraged concerned citizens to speak with their council representatives or to call Adams Outdoor Advertising with questions.

“We’re going to be 100 percent transparent,” he said.

Digital billboards were approved in Champaign in 2007. Adams Outdoor Advertising currently has six digital signs installed in Champaign. Traffic data collected by the Champaign Police Department Records Division shows no correlation between the installation of digital billboards at an intersection and the number of accidents.

The signs in Champaign are set up with ambient light sensors so that the intensity of the light emitted from the billboards adjusts according to the conditions outside.

“If it’s noon on a sunny day, (the display) is going to be at its brightest … (so that the billboard) is not washed out by the sun,” Kiser said. “And as the sun goes down, it will dim.”

Mike Madigan, Ward 6, said he was in support of allowing digital billboards in Urbana, as it would improve business operations. He also urged city council to consider the community benefit of making an agreement with Adams Outdoor Advertising to display public service announcements.

“Any type of public service announcements that we would like to make … we can require,” he said.

John Hecker, president of the Champaign County Crime Stoppers, defended the signs in a Sept. 17 letter addressed to community members.

“Adams Outdoor Advertising has been instrumental in the promotion of our organization throughout Champaign-Urbana,” he wrote. “With the recent shootings in north Champaign, the names and photos of the suspects were shown on the digital displays to assist in the apprehension of the suspects.”

Urbana currently does allow for digital signs to be used on an on-premise basis. Myers advised that if city council were to allow digital billboards, they would likely have to update ordinances concerning on-premise digital signs as well.

Eli can be reached at [email protected].