Tempe mayor sees red over UA-colored signs

Downtown Tempe Community Inc., a non-profit organization contracted by the city of Tempe to monitor parking in the area, has installed 240 18-by 24-inch signs that have made the mayor of Tempe upset because the signs' colors are red and blue.

"We are in Tempe, not the University of Arizona," Democratic Mayor Neil Giuliano said.

Giuliano said he has overheard people in the downtown area talking about how much they dislike the color scheme. He said his office has received at least 10 phone calls about the signs, which explain Tempe's new computerized multi-space meters.

"I think they should change the color scheme so it is more fitting for the Tempe area," Giuliano said.

Joe Arellano, traffic engineering technician for the city of Tempe, said the color scheme was decided on only after much deliberation.

"They are not UA colors, they are common colors," Arellano said.

Rod Keeling, executive director of Downtown Tempe Community Inc., said the shade of blue used is the "international parking color."

The signs in question are "rubine red" and "reflex blue," he said. The UA's colors are "cardinal red" and "navy blue."

"UA was the last thing on anybody's mind over the last year of picking the colors," Keeling said.

"The Downtown Tempe Community has already ordered and installed these signs, and about 90 percent of them are bagged (covered) because the meters are not all installed yet," Arellano said.

A Downtown Tempe Community spokesman said Keeling estimated the total cost of installing the signs at about $15,000.

Arellano said the colors were chosen because they stand out. He said there are already many signs using Arizona State University's maroon and gold color scheme.

"We aren't going to go around replacing stop signs because they are red and white and some might think they favor Nebraska," he said.

Arellano said he thinks the signs should stay in place.

The new parking system, which is the country's first, eliminates the need for a meter at each parking space, Keeling said. He said because there are fewer meters, people often think they can park for free.

Keeling said the new meters are about the size of a newspaper dispenser. He said there are 44 computerized meters that monitor 700 spaces in the downtown district.

"Wilbur (the Wildcat) did not infiltrate downtown Tempe," Keeling said. "The mayor is the mayor and the council is the council, and if they want it changed we will change it."