Wrecking signage

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A new “sign” greeted travelers along Arkansas Highway 72 (Slack Street) just west of Weston Street Monday morning.

A wrecker wrapped with electronic signage was placed atop poles at Erwin’s Towing.

It was erected in the time between the city approving a new, stricter sign ordinance, and the ordinance taking effect.

“This is exactly why we needed a sign ordinance,” Dr. Karen Sherman, chairman of the Planning Commission, said.

The placement, but not the design of the sign, was approved by planners when Jim Erwin, owner of the company, appeared before the Planning Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 4, to request a variance for a sign set back.

“The 40-foot setback ... would put it in the center of the lot,thereby causing a hardship,” Dr.

Karen Sherman, chairman of the commission, read from the letter requesting the variance.

City building official Tony Townsend said he spent “a couple of hours” measuring the distance and that the current ordinance would put the sign in the center of the lot. “He did inform me he had tape measured all the others (signs in town),” Townsend said of Erwin.

Townsend said Erwin’s first request had been to put an antique wrecker on a pole.

“”We just need a variance for the sign,” Erwin told planners.

When asked what kind of sign, he said: “We haven’t decided yet.”

“We’re familiar with past rules.

We haven’t even made 100 percent decision what we want to do. We just don’t want it in the center of the property. We want it along the side of the road like the others,” he said.

The City Council approved a new, detailed sign ordinance Sept. 20, without an emergency clause. It was to become effective 30 days after approved. That ordinance was debated and tabled for two months in Council, and discussed repeatedly over a year before planners sent it to council.

The current sign ordinance states: “unrestricted use of signs can create visual pollution, traffic hazards and general disarray of the community ... the intent and purpose ... to accommodate the user while at the same time, protect the public interest and the community.”

For commercial zones, one free-standing sign, not to exceed 100 square feet and the height limitation of the district in which it is located is part of the restriction in addition to set backs.

Planners debated whether thesign would be under the old or new ordinance.

“If he’s not asking for specific approval of the sign itself, depending on when it is, it would be under the new,” Mike Niederbaumer, assistant city attorney, said.

“I plan to put up a new sign before the new one comes into effect,” Erwin said.

“His request is under old sign ordinance,” Sherman said.

“But, ma’am, I plan tobuild a sign within the current rules,” Erwin said.

Planner M.J. Hensley made the motion that the variance be granted and the location of the sign be placed within accordance of the new ordinance.

News, Pages 1 on 10/18/2011