CSBJ Daily

City sidewalks, it appears, are for sale.

There are about 10 temporary Penrose Hospital advertisements glued to downtown sidewalks.

“This is certainly a first for us,” said city permit coordinator Sue Matz. “We’ve never had a request for any type of sidewalk advertising before.”

She said the city granted a revocable permit that allowed the signs to be placed for two weeks.

Revocable permits are required for any type of advertising that extends into public right of way, such as building signage or marquis that stretch over sidewalks or streets.

The cost for such permits: $100.

Wendi Dammann, Penrose regional director of strategic marketing, said she is aware that advertising in public spaces might be considered controversial.

“I think when we were brainstorming, we were very cautious with this idea,” she said. “We have a great relationship with the city, and I was certainly very confident that we weren’t making decisions that would upset anyone.”

Dammann also said more public spaces advertising is planned, but would not say where.

When asked whether other businesses would be allowed to advertise on sidewalks, Matz said permits are decided on a case-by-case basis.