Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Kurt Hilderbrand gives a quick presentation to Poland Village Council Tuesday regarding a plan to cover the new Ohio Department of Transportation electric control boxes at several intersections in town. The boxes are presently a large metal box housing the controls for traffic signals. The intent of the “signal wrap program” is to make the boxes more appealing.

POLAND — Village Council had a special meeting Tuesday to get the ball rolling on electric traffic control box wraps. The special meeting was only for a presentation and authorization to continue with the project, and no formal action was taken.

Council President Michael Thompson told those in attendance there would be no public presentation or other topics discussed.

Giving the presentation was Kurt Hilderbrand, who is working on the project with the Poland Village Beautification Committee. He presented several ideas for the artwork design to cover the large metal traffic control boxes.

The artistic coverings can either be done in a wrap, or can be permanently painted on. Hilderbrand said he is more in favor of painting the boxes as it will hold up better.

Hilderbrand showed council members Thompson, Abbie Bosak, Chris Graff and Laurie LaPlante the locations and suggested art.

“Box 1 will be located at the corner of College and South Main streets, in front of (House of) Benny’s Restaurant,” he said.

He said the box will highlight the 25th U.S. President, William McKinley, and his boyhood home. The box is the closest one to the site of McKinley’s home and the location where he enlisted to serve in the Civil War.

Box 2 is located at the corner of Riverside Drive and South Main Street. The plan is to highlight Poland’s early water-powered mills throughout Poland’s history. Photos of the original mill could not be located, but photos of the second mill (1801-1920) were found.

Box 3 is located at Water Street and U.S. 224. The proposed art for that box would include scenes from early Poland and would include the Sunoco/McQuaid’s gas station that existed where Peterson Park stands today.

Box 4 is at U.S. 224 and Riverside Drive and could feature the Little Red Schoolhouse. Box 5 is in front of Huntington Bank on South Main Street and Box 6 is at the intersection of Youngstown-Pittsburgh and North Lime roads.

Poland Historical Society President Laurie Fox said she would have loved seeing the schoolhouse featured in the township, but the township does not own the traffic control boxes. The only option was to feature the schoolhouse in the village along with Poland school history.

“At this time, we have funding for four boxes,” Hilderbrand said.

Following his presentation, he told council all he needed was approval to move forward with the program. After a brief discussion, Bosak made the motion to proceed with the program, with Graff and LaPlante voting yes.

“I will have the suggested art for council to approve at the next village meeting,” Hilderbrand said.

The electric box wrap project idea came from another Ohio community, according to resident Kathy Miller.

“The idea came from Stow to enhance an eyesore into something informational and appealing,” she said.

Hilderbrand said the approximate cost of each box is $862 for the vinyl wraps. The wraps would have a life-span of seven years and would be fade-resistant. Similar wraps are used on village police cruisers and ATM machines, Hilderbrand said. He also noted the wraps would come from a New Springfield vendor DB Signs and artist Douglas Baer, who is a Poland graduate.

During the meeting, Thompson commented to correct the information on the McKinley art.

“It says Range One, Town One,” Thompson noted. “It is actually Town One, Range One.

Hilderbrand said he would make the correction.