Atwater erects digital billboard over energetic ‘Five Corners’

By ROBIN SHEPARD

Times Correspondent

Merced County’s Assessor’s Office describes it as “a triangular shaped island, lying north of the land commonly known as Assessor’s Parcel 003-211-002,” but local residents may soon be referring to it as “the digital billboard at Five Corners.”

Since BK Industries broke ground at the convergence of First Street and Shaffer Road on Sept. 5, motorists driving through the busy Five Corners intersection have witnessed the construction of the 41-ft. tall steel structure rising up on a monoped tower.

This past week they’ve seen crews paint the impressive tower and begin landscaping work to complete the project, a companion in design to the clock tower also constructed by BK Industries at the corner of Fifth Street and Broadway Avenue in the downtown area.

Designed, fabricated and constructed by Atwater resident and community developer Brad Kessler’s BK Industries, the digital billboard features three display panels and is subtly lit from within, providing a diffused glow of light on the once dark corner.

Residents will soon see advertising and community information cycling every 10 minutes on the digital signs from each approaching angle to Five Corners.

According to Kessler, the city approached him a few years ago with the idea of developing the 2,041 sq. ft. island, which formally featured a couple of landscape boulders and grass that required maintenance.

“They brought me the idea of putting up a billboard,” he said. “I thought about it and I decided it was a great idea.”

The resulting project has eliminated maintenance costs for the city, and has turned a small, undeveloped and unzoned parcel of land into a landmark feature, creating a skyline in the middle of Atwater’s main business district along Bellevue Road.

The digital billboard is the property of BK Industries, which funded the project, while the city is the landowner. The project lease agreement was signed in August 2021 by then-city manager Lori Waterman, city attorney Frank Splendorio, witnessed by city clerk Lucy Armstrong, and signed by lessee Brad Kessler.

That agreement extends out to 20 years, with the city earning 15 percent of the income from advertising contracts that Atwater-based Industries Marketing can secure.

The agreement appears to benefit the city, which essentially created a beautification project at no expense to taxpayers, and BK Industries, which will earn income from advertising revenue.

The project stalled for two years due to numerous revisions to site plans and architectural design changes requested by city development staff, according to Kessler, adding to the bottom-line cost of the project, which was borne by BK Industries.

“Basically, I got screwed,” the developer remarked.

Final plans were approved by the city in November 2023, a gap of 27 months between the signing of the lease agreement and the final approval of plans.

When asked by the Times about the time spent in planning, Atwater City Manager Chris Hoem explained: “This project advanced carefully through each required stage, ensuring all requirements were addressed responsibly for the community’s best interest.”

Hoem added, “From my experience in land use, I can say that the length of projects varies in general, and the length of any particular project depends on the characteristics, complexity, and nature of that project.”

Nevertheless, Kessler alleges that city community development staff is stalling the process on other BK Industries projects, including the much-anticipated the Merced Union High School District’s Career and Technical Education Center.

“It’s happening to other developers too,” Kessler said.

Despite the apparent difficulty he’s had in completing the Digital Billboard project, Kessler is proud of the work his company has completed, which also includes the annual downtown ice skating rink.

Kessler is also proud of using only local sub-contractors on his projects.

“That’s American steel, and this was made by American companies,” he said.

Kessler is a big man with big ideas to help make Atwater a more attractive and prosperous community. And he has put his money where his mouth is, so to speak, by underwriting the cost of the first two years of operation of the skating rink. He also funded the entire cost of construction of the downtown clock tower.

Through BK Industries, Kessler is helping to shape the physical landscape of the town that Kessler’s called home his whole life.

“I love this city,” Kessler said. “I grew up here and I wouldn’t be who I am without the people who gave me a start in my life.”