By Dawn Rhodes Chicago Tribune

Glen Ellyn's electronic message board in downtown Glen Ellyn comes with $102,000 price tag.

The LED sign will replace the monument sign at Main Street and Crescent Boulevard, a dual-facing sign village employees change manually. Village trustees voted in late April to approve the new sign.

The sign has been in the works since late summer, Assistant Village Manager Al Stonitsch said. It would allow village leaders to more easily post messages and share area news and events with nearby pedestrians, train commuters and passing motorists, he said.

The sign will be similar to the one at Village Links, but with a smaller screen better suited to slow-moving traffic. Glen Ellyn Monument Sign

Stonitsch and staff recommended that the village contract with Baltimore-based Gable Signs, known for doing LED signs at Macy's in New York's Herald Square, as well as at Verizon Wireless in Chicago. But Village President Alex Demos said he was concerned about using a product exclusive to and trademarked by the out-of-state business.

"They may be viable, and they may be in business in three years," Demos said. "But as this technology very quickly changes and evolves over the next two or three years, they may decide to quit supporting this specific format. Macy's and Verizon might be able to afford to change their technology."

Other trustees agreed, saying it made more sense for the village to use the same technology and software already in place with the golf-course sign.

"I'd propose to take the safer route," Trustee Pete Ladesic said. "This is an instance where $4,000, $5,000 makes a difference. We've got to spend this to do the right thing."

Trustees rejected the $97,000 bid from Gable Signs and unanimously opted to go with the next-lowest bid from Parvin-Clauss in Carol Stream, a company that also constructed the Village Links sign. That golf-course sign cost just more than $52,000.

The money for the project will come out of the village's facilities reserve fund. Stonitsch also noted that the upgraded technology would benefit the village by reducing the amount of time employees spend periodically swapping out the black lettering on the current sign.

The new sign tentatively is scheduled for completion in August.