AMHERST — A damaged sign outside a downtown coffee shop will be repaired in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson for Starbucks, which operates the restaurant at 71 North Pleasant St., said in an email that the company will have the sign fixed.
According to the email, “(Starbucks is) currently working with our vendor to address the damage to our sign, and anticipate that the repair will take place within the next few weeks.”
The damage came to the public’s attention when Town Manager Paul Bockelman put a picture of the sign on Twitter and asked Starbucks how soon the sign, which extends from the building toward the sidewalk, would be fixed.
“Hey @Starbucks How long before you fix this broken sign in the center of @TownOfAmherst? It’s been weeks,” Bockelman wrote.
The damage is contained to one side of the two-sided circular sign depicting the logo for Starbucks, exposing an empty interior where lights would normally illuminate the crowned green mermaid.
Bockelman said May 5 that he is pleased the sign will be fixed and understands that it can’t be done immediately. But he would like to see the work done within a reasonable period.
“I’m sure it takes time to complete this task. I just hope weeks doesn’t turn into a month,” Bockelman said.
Earlier, Bockelman said the damaged sign wasn’t a big deal, but not keeping on top of such matters could lead to the downtown business district looking shabby.
The Amherst Business Improvement District works with business and property owners to fix broken signs, remove graffiti and do other beautification projects on an as-needed basis.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.