Billboards On I-55 Again Will Be Used As Marketing Tool

The city Ste. Genevieve’s Tourism Tax Commission is back in the billboard business.

The city formerly had leased spots two billboards on Interstate 55 as well as one on Route B that were paid for with commission funds. Late in 2017 and early in 2018 a division within the group grew over the value of billboard advertising. Early in 2018, the I-55 billboards were dropped.

The most vocal opponent of billboard advertising, Microtel manager Sabrina Ford, is no longer on the board, however, and attitudes toward the traditional advertising option seem to have reversed.

Tourism director Sandra Cabot told the members that the Tourism Advisory Council had discussed an I-55 billboard at its last meeting.

“It’s been a while, two years, I think, since we had a billboard in both directions [on I-55],” she said. “So I went out to the companies we’ve had before and asked them what they have in inventory and looked at rates.”

The best rate was $325 a month plus a one-time art fee of $650 — a total of $4,550 for a year.

It would be at mile marker 157, southbound, on the left. It would be about seven miles north of the exit for Highway 32.

“It’s a double-tall, stacked billboard and we would be the one on top,” Cabot said. “In that location, you would have traffic going up and down the interstate, if they were going to a Cardinals game or anything in St. Louis, they would be coming back and would see this.”

It will be illuminated and can include “Ste. Genevieve: Next two exits” to avoid confusion.

See complete story in the February 27 edition of the Herald.