BUENA PARK : Braille Group’s Sign Request Is Denied

The City Council this week turned down a request from the Braille Institute to put up directional signs on Beach Boulevard.

Officials from the nonprofit group, headquartered in Anaheim, asked for permission to install two signs to help guide both northbound and southbound traffic to their Dale Street offices.

Institute director Wanda Marshall told the council that besides helping people find the office, officials hoped the sign would provide added exposure.

“What we find is that people forget that there is a Braille Institute in Orange County,” Marshall told the council, adding that the institute serves people from as far away as Oceanside and part of Los Angeles County.

Despite approval from the city Traffic and Transportation Commission and the Institute’s promise to pick up the tab for erecting the signs, city staffers recommended denial of the request. City Engineer Don Jensen said the Institute, which is accessible from both Crescent Avenue and Dale Street, is on streets “easy enough to find” and therefore does not need the added signs.

Councilman Arthur Brown disagreed. Brown, who cast the only vote in favor of the proposal, said he drives in the area frequently and the streets leading to the institute are very difficult to spot.

Other council members expressed concern that more groups would come forward with similar requests for Beach Boulevard, the city’s main entertainment strip, which is packed with signs pointing the way to hotels, restaurants and attractions.

“We have an awful lot of needed organizations in this community,” said Councilman Donald L. Bone. “Are we opening a door to allow a problem in the future?”

Jensen responded that each request is considered separately. They are granted only on a case-by-case basis depending on the location, with harder-to-find places given special consideration, he said.