I usually try to appear reasonably unbiased on issues here on the GEBB, but this really infuriates me.

Here’s a letter I received today at my business address... Don’t we go to parks to (among other things) get away from this sort of intrusive crap?

- - — - - - -
[Standard salutation, followed by:]

Our company is working with the Glen Ellyn Park District on an exciting new recycling program. Part of this program allows local businesses such as yours to place your advertisement throughout the parks of Glen Ellyn. This unique opportunity can give your company long-term exposure year-round. Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Friends and Children spend hours of time at the local parks of Glen Ellyn. In fact, an estimated 850,000 people visit parks of the Glen Ellyn Park District every year. This is an opportunity to not only support a recycling program, but also have your logo in front of families for hours at a time.

ONLY $365.00/ YEAR
INCLUDES CREATIVE AND PRINTING

There are 840 spaces available throughout the Glen Ellyn Park District...

Spaces are 18" x 28" and are first come, first served.

We will provide a link to your website from FreeGreenCan’s website.

Add either your web address, phone number or address to the bottom of your message...

Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club and Company Check accepted.

Knowing a company is mindful of its impact on the environment makes customers...

• More likely to buy their products (58%)
• More loyal to the company (55%)
• More likely to talk with friends & family about the company (47%)
• More likely to buy the stock (36%)
• Less concerned about price of product (28%)

*Works cited: Fortune Magazine 2008, ICSR Education, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mintel Research*

Please contact me to discuss your advertising opportunity.

Warmest Regards,
Katie Fish
Regional Public Message Director
Cell: 847-560-3474
E-Mail: Katie@FreeGreenCan.com

Green Can Products LLC
2112 West Galena Blvd., Suite 8 #430
Aurora, IL 60506
(630) 673-7816
FreeGreenCan.com
- - — - - - -

The letter includes an image similar to this...
...which is on their web site.

My favorite line is, “Knowing a company is mindful of its impact on the environment makes customers...” This project would certainly have an impact on the look-and-feel of our parks, so I can only assume the unspoken word at the end of the trailing sentence is, “puke.” If any business I deal with appears on one of these, I'm going elsewhere.

Any remaining feeling I may have had for the poor, misunderstood board incumbents is gone. What the h*ll were these people thinking?! —Ted E.

(Pro commercial-crap-in-the-parks comments invited. I assume the other side of the coin is that the Park District desperately needs the money, and that the big “See Rock City” sign on the side of the new Ackerman Park fieldhouse will be a thing of beauty.) —Ted E.

The current park board must be looking for ways to fund some of the crazy plans they were considering....before they were booted out of office. I'd contact the newly elected folks to tell them your disappointment that such a thing will happen. I will.

Why would this infuriate you Mr. Ted? I'm sure the Park District obtained the proper permits, had the required public meetings, notified all of the residents adjacent to the subject properties, paid all fees and have jumped all of the hoops. . . Oh wait, they didn't do that?! Why do I have to do that if I want to advertise on my property?

I can't wait to see this advertised at my local park!

“The NEW People Car” with no A/C (better for the environment and better gas mileage you know), no power steering (it used oil), radio only picks up the Obama Channel and runs entirely on hope and change …

Or This One!!!

Go BABE'

I don't have a problem with the PD selling advertising. It brings in some extra revenue without raising taxes or increasing fees.

I wonder though how they came up with that number 850,000 people visit GE Parks. I think they mean 850,000 visits are made to GE Parks in a year. Which makes more sense

Ted - This is the kind of thing that once upset me, too. Years ago, I complained that the "free" posters my kids' elementary school put up in the halls and the bookmarks passed out in the library were nothing more than advertisements for movies and TV programs of questionable merit. The principal saw nothing wrong with this type of promotion in the school.

I have recognized and resigned myself to the fact that advertising really is everywhere. It is my job to educate my kids on seeing ads for what they are - attempts to get them to feel they "need" something then spend their (or my) money. Ads are everywhere - from the North Face logo on my kids' jackets to the Nike swoosh on much of their clothing. Truly, we are all constantly filtering advertising when we are online.

How many of you noticed the "Ultra Foods" sign on the scoreboard when you drive past Village Green on Lambert? Ultra Foods helped fund the new building project at that location.

quote:

It is my job to educate my kids on seeing ads for what they are

A parent taking responsibility for their kids education/well being!? What are you trying to do, start a trend? If you teach your kids to be responsible for themselves and to make well educated decisions and others follow your lead, what will become of the Democratic party?

Here’s what pushed my buttons...

First, it seems to me that a primary responsibility of any taxing body is to maintain its facilities. That includes gathering and hauling away garbage, whether it be a municipality, school, library, park... whatever. If the organization can’t afford to supply that most basic of support services with the tax dollars it has, it has no business buying fountains, artificial turf, or multi-million dollar fieldhouses. (I couldn’t think of anything applicable to beat up on the library about. In fact, when I asked them to post the map of the downtown business district a few years back, they refused because it was “too commercial.”)

But if we agree that some advertising is acceptable in some public places, it becomes a matter of scale and appropriateness. School library bookmarks and posters? Well, okay... they’re in an environment that’s surrounded by books, magazines, signs and other ink-and-paper items that flaunt text and images. Little brass plaques on park benches? No problem. Ads in theater playbills rather than commercial banners and signs on stage? Fair trade.

Ads on the sides of public transit buses and on the walls of bus stops? Who cares... they’re in a public environment that is so saturated with ads and signs and banners that we don’t even see them any more.

What about sponsor names on football field scoreboards? Well, the scoreboards are unnatural devices in an artificial environment to begin with... and they’re already laden with illuminated words and numbers... so, okay. They’re not disrupting the works of Mother Nature, and anyway, professional sports venues have already taught us what football and baseball stadiums are “supposed” to look like. (But does anyone remember the outcry when the first sponsored electronic scoreboard was to be installed at Memorial Field in the early 60’s? The sponsor name in the final structure was significantly smaller than the original design. And you do know, I hope, that, when you watch TV, most of the ad banners that appear to be on stadium walls are inserted electronically, and are not, in fact, actually physical signs on real surfaces?)

If the only requirement for having advertising in public parks is that “it brings in some extra revenue without raising taxes or increasing fees,” are we to look forward to a 100' high McDonalds’ logo on the side of Starved Rock? Or a five-mile-long Viagra banner on the wall of the Grand Canyon? The same argument would hold — but please... let’s keep spam out of parks.

Which brings us back to ad placards in Glen Ellyn parks. Welcoming such advertising into parks would not be increasing the promotional clutter by 10% or even 1%. It would be introducing commercialism into an environment where it does not now exist at all... and where — in the purpose and spirit of such public space — it does not belong.

What would be next? KFC logos on filled potholes? A huge Barone’s logo at the bottom of Sunset pool? Bank billboards on all four sides of the Lake Ellyn bathhouse? “Thank you” sponsor credits on the walls of the park district band shell? (Oops... nevermind. Too late.)

Yes, people wear sneakers with Nike swooshes and clothing with corporate logos, and they wear such items in parks. But these promos are not a foot-and-a-half wide by over two feet high, and they don’t contain a “call to action” such as a web URL, phone number, or address.

I have nothing against commercialism; I spent much of my career in advertising and marketing. Most of the ad people I worked with at Reebok, Kraft, IBM, Xerox, Buster Brown, RCA, GTE and other major advertisers were responsible and ethical individuals who knew there is a time and place for everything.. I recall resigning only one account because I felt that what they wanted to do was just flat wrong. Big, bright, colorful ads in public parks is just flat wrong.

Bottom line: Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it... and money isn’t everything.

Actually I was thinking that maybe Viagra could buy space on the next Shuttle Launch.

I think you're kind of splitting hairs there Ted.
Garbage cans aren't natural. Baseball, soccer fields etc aren't natural. Probably the only "natural" areas in Glen Ellyn would be Churchill Woods and the bog area over by the Y.

Money may not be the only thing but it is the most important thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Yossarian:
A parent taking responsibility for their kids education/well being!? What are you trying to do, start a trend?....what will become of the Democratic party?

C'mon Yoss! I resent that. As if a person who believes in the Democratic Party doesn't believe in accountablity! puuuuleeez!!!

Ted - really thoughtful post, thank you!

LOL, you're slipping, it took you over 12 hours to respond.

HaHa! Not slipping, just not on the BB as much.
Nice try though.

quote:

First, it seems to me that a primary responsibility of any taxing body is to maintain its facilities. That includes gathering and hauling away garbage, whether it be a municipality, school, library, park... whatever. If the organization can’t afford to supply that most basic of support services with the tax dollars it has, it has no business buying fountains, artificial turf, or multi-million dollar fieldhouses.

Yes! I don't understand the "let's add more without maintaining what we got first" philosophy. Lake Ellyn and the GBW tennis courts are prime examples.

Good post, Ted. I agree.

One facet you didn't mention is, what is the explanation as to why these funds are needed, and what they are going to be spent on?

Sure, there are all kinds of income producing avenues open to our govermental entities. (Heck, why not have lawyers advertise on cop cars?) But I feel as a general rule they should be used in limited situations - and primarily as a last resort.

Using the scoreboard example above - if it is decided that a scoreboard needs to be replaced/updated, but it would put a strain on the general budget - by all means get some big corporation to pony up a sizeable share of the costs, and put their name on it. Or if we wanted to install, replace, or update a playground. A tasteful sign near the entrance saying "Thanks to Company XYZ who contributed funds" would not bother me.

But this trashy proposal just seems aimed at bringing additional funds into the PD's general budget, with no explanation of why these funds are needed, or what they will be spent on. IMO, simply increasing the PD's budget by the relatively small amount I expect to be generated by these signs is not sufficient to outweigh the undesireable precedent and impact of allowing such advertising in our parks.

Also, given that the PD apparently has millions of dollars to build a structure I never wanted (and don't believe the community was adequately informed about) - I'm not sympathetic to them claiming that all of a sudden they need more funds for general operating purposes.

Great post Ted! Do you think they would reduce the amount of taxes we pay, based on the increased revenue(s) the advertising brings in (I think not)

I would however welcome a KFC logo on any and all potholes if they did in fact actually fill them! The last pothole I hit cost me over 1K for two tires, an over priced rim and an alignment.

You're right. No matter how much money the government gets its only response is more.

I have to say, I agree whole heartedly with Ted E on this. Seriously, who do these people think they are. Everyone knows that for the welfare of our society & to protect the Democrat(cy) a taxing body has absolutely NO business thinking of new and innovative ways to increase tax revenue. Just ask Governor Quinn. The only way to increase revenue is by increasing taxes. Your taxes.

These people have alot of nerve. I only hope those other schlock outfits such as the Villages of Romeoville & Oswego, and the Schaumburg Flyers are as up in arms over such an egregious proposal as Ted E is.

And we couldn't possibly say, have a GE business advertise on these gosh darn contraptions and promote our very own Glen Ellyn economy. Oh for Pete's Sake, that might actually be a win win. Can't support & work together here, after all, the Park District is our enemy & we can't let the Chamber potentially benefit in any way, shape or form.

I disagree with you Ted E that some advertising is ok. It's all or nothing, baby. Naw, why should the kids have a Score Board sponsored by Ultra Foods. That's just wrong. They can keep score on their fingers.

The only other teeny little disagreement I have with Ted E is the statement: "Any remaining feeling I may have had for the poor, misunderstood board incumbents is gone. What the h*ll were these people thinking?!" Puh-leeze Ted E all of us who know you is WELL aware of the disdain & contempt you hold for them.

Hold on to your horses. It is time to embrace the Brave New World Order for the GEPD! With the Creech's (Mel, Jay & Julia) on the way in all of this will be a thing of the past. Let's hear it for TRANSPARENCY. Just think, as the "New Leaders" in the GEPD as soon as the meetings are televised & thousands of Glen Ellynites are riveted in front of their TV's watching, this sort of nonsense will be a thing of the past!



Outside Independence Hall when
the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended,
Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
"A republic, if you can keep it."

I am surprised that I am one of the few that continues to point out one of the more egregious examples of sponsorship lunacy in the village.

One only needs to face westward while standing in front of Soukup's to see the legacy that former village president Joe Wark has left us.

I have not been able to figure out who convinced him that a floral clock was an idea that was the cat's meow (it's the bee's knees!!)...my guess is that is was the clock's maker...but the stupendously unfortunate concrete wall of sponsorship is nothing short of crass. What an unfortunate thing to have to look at for the next who knows how many year. Johnny G., head on over there and have a look and tell me whether or not your loins swell with civic pride.

We may not have to live with it much longer. Go to the parking lot side of Big Joe to see that the brick spall is getting so bad that it may fall over like an $800 fountain in the wind. If someone in the village's deputy village manager office can figure out a way to blame me for that too....I am certain that they will. My recommendation going forward...avoid placing any holiday greens in the Floral Clock's pit when the hands come off for the winter. They do more harm than good.

quote:

Originally posted by whoisjohngalt:


These people have alot of nerve.

The correct way of writing this would be:

"These people have A LOT of nerve. Notice the space between the A and the L? Although "allot" is a word, you aren't using it correctly.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GEM,