By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

This summer, old street signs will be available for bidding via an online auction hosted by the Town of Berlin to raise money to support the municipality’s community center effort.

According to Sara Gorfinkel, executive assistant to Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall, the town’s public works team has spent the past two years replacing street signs with more up-to-date reflective tape and lettering to ensure compliance with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration. The signs are now also higher on poles than previously.

During this process, residents asked about Berlin’s plans for the old signage and if they could take or purchase them. This sparked the idea to organize an online auction for the banners. The proceeds from the sales will go toward the development of a planned community center in town.

Gorfinkel noted that the auction was Tyndall’s brainchild, while she created the sale site to “reflect the mission of the auction, information about the community center, and the Town of Berlin” and uploaded all of the signs, around 160, that will be available for bidding.

The auction will begin promptly at midnight on July 1 and is expected to last about two weeks. The town is using the ClickBid system for the initiative, which Worcester Preparatory School referred them to as the school uses it for its silent auction fundraising efforts. The mayor’s assistant maintained that the site is “very user-friendly.”

The auction can be accessed at https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/tobm/auction.

To participate, on July 1, individuals can upload their credit card information, bid in increments of $5 on the signs, and even set a max bid for easy use.

“If there’s one sign that you want, you can put in however much money you would be willing to spend on it, and then you can have the system bid for you in $5 increments,” Gorfinkel said. “If you say, ‘I really want this sign and I’ll pay $100 for it,’ then it will bid for you up to $100. Then it will tell you whether or not you need to add more money or if you did or didn’t get the sign.”

Gorfinkel said the base price for most signs will be $20, while the more vintage street markings will start at around $30 or $35.

The money from the auction will help the town’s community center come to fruition. Specifically, the proceeds will be used for a historical display in the facility. While what exactly will be included in the exhibit is currently unknown, it could incorporate plaques, archive materials, or display boxes.

“We really want to highlight the history of Berlin and the families that have made Berlin what it is,” the executive assistant said. “We know that the archives and the history are really important to the Town of Berlin, so we are specifically raising money to put aside for that. We have the Taylor House Museum, so it won’t be anything on that level. Still, we want it to be people-focused and just a really good resource so people feel their history is reflected in the community center.”

The community center is an ongoing project for the Town of Berlin. The dream has been on the docket for decades, but has started to make headway over the past few years. The future structure, which will provide meeting space, recreational activities, services, and amenities, will be located at 130 Flower Street.

Advancement of the planned facility has been made possible via a partnership between the Town of Berlin, Berlin Community Improvement Association (BCIA), SHOREUP! Inc., and the Worcester County Commissioners, who worked to combine four parcels of property on Flower Street, formerly the side of the Flower Street School.

The upcoming auction is another initiative that will aid the center’s creation.

Gorfinkel said that the bid contest will appeal to those who decorate with and collect street signs, specifically those who are nostalgic about the road they grew up on or currently live on. The town’s inventory of signage varies, and the executive assistant is excited to see participants’ responses.

Some signs have seven of its type available, while others are one of a kind. ‘N Main Street’ signs, for instance, have multiple copies. Others are special in that they are misspelled.

“William Street is really William Street, but sometimes it says, ‘Williams’ with an S,” Gorfinkel said. “We have one that is spelled W-I-L-L-A-M. It’s missing the second I, so there are some unique signs that I think people will be interested in purchasing.”

Bid winners will be able to pick their banners up in Berlin sometime this summer. A time and place will be communicated at a later date. Additionally, if someone who lives far away buys a sign, they can pay an add-on fee to have their item shipped.

The auction will help Berlin reach the community center dream. If anyone does not want to bid or is unsuccessful in obtaining a sign, they can donate directly to the future facility efforts on the town’s ClickBid webpage.

“I am excited to see the response,” Gorfinkel said. “I’m hopeful we’ll be able to raise money for the community center.”