By JOHN REYNOLDS (john.reynolds@sj-r.com), THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Jun 18, 2011
Getting rid of dilapidated signs is the aim of an ordinance being sought by Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin.
Currently, city code requires that a landowner remove advertising panels from a free-standing sign within 90 of the business’s closing. The frame that holds the panels can remain. “That leaves behind the skeletal frame and the pole the frame is on,” McMenamin said. “The frame is left up. What then happens is that years can pass. The frame is ugly, and it’s really an eyesore.”
Several options
McMenamin is looking at more than one option to solve the problem.
One proposal would require the framing be removed within three years of the business closing. The pole could remain. Another possibility would be to leave the panels on the frame, but cover the advertising within 90 days of the closing. That way, the skeletal framing would not be exposed.
‘Residue of past’
Removing old signs was one the issues that came up during McMenamin’s city council campaign this spring. One of the examples he noted was the sign at the old Kmart on MacArthur Boulevard. The skeleton of the frame stood in the parking lot for seven years after the store closed. He talked to the owners of the property, and with the help of the Ace Sign Co., the dilapidated framing was removed after the April election.
“A frame skeleton tends to look ugly. It has the appearance of neglect and decay. If neighborhoods have pride, they would rather have the frames come down. It’s like a residue of the past that is unpleasant to look at,” McMenamin said.
…
Maybe this summer
McMenamin said he is in the process of drafting the new ordinance. He is open to suggestions, which can be made by calling him at 787-2297.
If all goes as planned, the proposal could come before the city council for a first reading by the end of July, and a final vote could be taken in August.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 