The new Daniel Island message board sign at exit 24 will inform I-526 passers-by of upcoming DI events.

You know the old saying that suggests a person can train their taste buds to like (or at least tolerate) a food by tasting it on 10 separate occasions? Well, the new Daniel Island sign near good ol’ exit 24 on I-526 is hoping to work under a similar theory.

The Daniel Island Property Owners Association (POA) disseminated a message to DI property owners last week, highlighting some initiatives to promote the island’s business community, particularly to "off-islanders." Among these efforts is more visible signage, and the first deliverable is the message board sign, installed just a few weeks ago.

The "Pork n’ Pearls" event on February 25 is the first event to which the board gives a shout-out, and the POA will be responsible for switching out the sign to feature various events throughout the year. Think of it as a "save the date," not only for islanders, but for the estimated 69,000 drivers that will pass it each day, a good portion of whom do so as part of a regular commute. And you know what happens if they read it 10 times… well, that’s the idea, anyway.

The Daniel Island Company provided the land for the sign, as well as half the funding for the structure itself. The Daniel Island Town Association paid for the remaining 50%. In settling on the sign’s size and design, the Daniel Island Company development team explored various alternatives with the sign company, and Daniel Island’s Neighborhood Association and Business Association (DINA and DIBA) both offered input as well. It was suggested that the sign should be at least as big as the existing Charleston Battery sign, but high enough to be in good view for motorists on both sides of I-526. "Literally, balloons were floated to various heights and pictures taken to determine exactly how high it needed to be," POA Vice President of Community Services Jimmy Bailey reported. The final rendering was presented at the annual meetings of the island associations and submitted for city approval, which was granted.

The impetus was, as indicated in the January 24 email to property owners, to attract more visitors to Daniel Island, since it is challenging for business district to thrive on the patronage of islanders alone. Reaction to the sign from both DI residents and off-islanders was mixed: