OTTUMWA — Even before it was hooked up, the Bridge View Center sign lit up faces Monday morning at the center and at City Hall.

Sherwood Company, Inc., of West Burlington had the post installed by 10:30 a.m. Monday. Next was setting up the video and logo displays.

“Then the electricians will hook up the power and fire it up,” said Tyler Sherwood, the crew’s leader. “The sign will be ready to go when we leave.”

Jon Elbaum, BVC’s general operations manager, smiled as he watched Sherwood’s crew prepare to mount the video portion on the post, which is at the BVC parking lot’s south entrance.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Elbaum said. “We started working on it before the building even opened. This will be a great week.”

After installation is completed, then computer hookups, testing and training will start.

Elbaum said the sign “has great features.” There are spots for corporate logos and one spot is already taken. The Pepsi logo now on the sign is supported by Mahaska Bottling of Oskaloosa.

Another portion of the sign is for video messages and it’s the moving display will help the public know what events are scheduled.

Mayor Dale Uehling said the sign’s arrival is “kind of exciting” and he’s “very pleased.”

“People want to know what’s going on here and this sign will help them,” he said. “It has taken longer than we thought. We wanted it a year ago.”

City workers had poured a foundation and concrete pad for the post on its sign.

Back in January, Elbaum said he wished the sign was already there because he was “getting calls every day” about the lack of a sign.

Back in January, the City Council unanimously approved rejecting the two bids received for a sign. Elbaum told the council he’d sent out three bid packages and two were returned. But, there was some difficulty with each bid.

“One included work not in the specifications and the other bidder had questions,” Elbaum said then.

Elbaum re-examined the specifications and sent out the bid packets again.