Jim and Marge Lakusta, owners of Excel Signs, told Town council enforcing existing sign bylaws would result in “undue grief” for the locally owned company and its customers at its meeting Sept. 12.
“I certainly hope that town council isn’t in business to destroy a viable business,” said Marge. “If the issues are not resolved, the outcome will result in a huge hardship for us and for the businesses we serve.”
The Municipal Planning Committee (MPC) recently compared municipal land use bylaws with other communities. After reviewing the Town’s signage bylaws, the MPC recommended to council no changes to the sign bylaw and to start enforcement by Nov. 30.
Flanked by around 20 supporters sitting and standing in council chambers, the Lakustas asked council to consider allowing signs on vacant lots or private boulevards with the permission of the landowner. They asked council to permit signs not outside the business it is advertising if it has the address and phone number of the advertised business so as to not confuse the public from out of town. They requested a zone to advertise businesses that are off main street or are on main street with no frontage. Excel also suggested partnering with the Town to review each sign.
Mayor Glenn Andersen recommended Excel Signs, MPC and another business owner meet to restructure the land use bylaw for free-standing signs. The signs in front of malls for businesses elsewhere are confusing, added Andersen. Excel’s idea of including the address and phone number of the advertised business would eliminate a lot of confusion, he said.
The existing land use bylaw states free-standing portable signs shall advertise the business where the sign is located.
“Our land use bylaw is very lenient,” responded Coun. Trevor Kotowich, chair of the MPC. “We are pro business and we want people to be given every opportunity.”
The Town has received lots of complaints regarding portable signs over time, Kotowich said. Any traffic visibility concerns with Excel Signs were dealt with immediately, he said, noting the Town is liable for signs that block visibility.
Under the current bylaw, each business in the malls could install signs. Other sign companies could also move to town. The MPC is trying to alleviate issues that could potentially arise, said Kotowich. “At what point do we have too many signs?”
Jim and Marge met with MPC members in 2004 before deciding to purchase the business, Marge said in the presentation to council. The MPC requested the owners not increase the number of signs in St. Paul and that they be kept neat, Marge said, adding that no one informed them of the sign bylaws in effect since 1998.
Enforcement would hurt the business by 25 per cent, said Marge. The issue resurfaced on the streets after the previous council meeting and in the Aug. 31 Journal, and Excel did not receive any notification, she said.
“Like everything else we have heard via the grapevines, we have also heard that our business does not fit into the goals and objectives of the Chamber of Commerce and the Town beautification projects.”
“For the past seven years, we have been issued a business licence to operate and today we are in disbelief that our town council would not have communicated with us to discuss bylaw issues,” Marge said. “This would have changed our decision to purchase that business … A substantial portion of our livelihood is in jeopardy.” The present and previous councils have turned a blind eye to the bylaw, she said.
Council accepted a letter of support for Excel Signs from Precision Power Products as information and heard from several business owners in attendance.
