AMHERST — Walking through downtown Amherst several times a week, Town Manager Paul Bockelman has noticed the damage to the two-sided circular sign depicting the logo for Starbucks, exposing an empty interior where lights would normally illuminate the crowned green mermaid.

While not yet the long-running saga of the missing “A” in the Calvin Theater sign in Northampton, Bockelman said he was curious to learn how soon the sign, which extends from the building at 71 North Pleasant St. toward the sidewalk, would be fixed.

With staff at the coffee shop unable to provide him those details, he went to Twitter on Monday to see if a social media post could prod the company into action.

https://twitter.com/Amherst_Paul/status/856564219877220352

Hey @Starbucks How long before you fix this broken sign in the center of @TownOfAmherst ? It's been weeks. pic.twitter.com/UalwWsdmea

— Paul Bockelman (@Amherst_Paul) April 24, 2017

“Hey @Starbucks How long before you fix this broken sign in the center of @TownOfAmherst? It’s been weeks,” Bockelman wrote.

Bockelman said Wednesday that the tweet helps to raise attention that leaving signs unrepaired, even in a relatively benign situation, can pose issues for the business community.

“It’s not a big deal, but it can make downtown look shabby,” Bockelman said.

A manager at the store said he couldn’t speak to the matter of the sign, referring questions to Starbucks’ corporate headquarters.

A call and email to Starbucks corporate led to a response saying they’re looking into the matter and will get back to the Gazette.

Amherst Business Improvement District Executive Director Sarah la Cour said she is aware of the damaged sign, though isn’t sure if it was vandalized or was broken under other circumstances.

The BID, la Cour said, doesn’t have a formal policy for when to intervene in such matters, generally only helping out when asked by a landlord or a business owner, as part of its mission to beautify the downtown.

“Something like a sign, I haven’t got involved yet,” la Cour said. “I do try to be proactive when I notice something.”

For instance, when several buildings in Amherst center were tagged with graffiti last year, the BID hired a contractor to remove the paint from the numerous private businesses that were damaged.

The BID is also in frequent contact with police to discuss ways to keep the downtown safe. La Cour said it is important to know when vandalism occurs so that it doesn’t encourage more damage to other properties.

The area around Starbucks, la Cour said, has already been a popular place for panhandlers to gather, in part because there are benches on the nearby sidewalk and many customers with loose change. The BID has worked with the police to remove vending machines with free publications, such as real estate guides, that were doubling as storage units for homeless people.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com

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