[JHeath]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...;ArticleID=9813

2/13/2008 11:32:00 AM
City May Move 'Monster' Billboards

Amanda Haverstick
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The "monster" billboards have moved another step in a process that may take them to a location out of the downtown area.

The Michigan City Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special use variance Tuesday to move two sets of billboards to the south end of town.

Right now, one is at Michigan Boulevard and Jackson Street and the other at Franklin and Homer streets.

The proposed settlement between the city and billboard company Outdoor One will now go before the Michigan City Common Council and the Redevelopment Authority for final approval. The proposed settlement was approved Feb. 4 by the Michigan City Board of Public Works and Safety.

The signs were put up by Outdoor One in late 1999 and in spring 2000. The billboards were discovered to be built too close to residential districts, according to city ordinance.

The settlement states the city will move the double-decker billboard on Michigan Boulevard and Jackson Street to a spot of land on U.S. 421 owned by the city near Texas Corral restaurant.

"The area is much more conducive with the high business development ... and is certainly not nearly as close to any other residential districts," City Attorney Jennifer Evans said.

Evans said Outdoor One would be granted a perpetual easement at both locations.

The other large billboard at Franklin and Homer streets will move to a city-owned parcel on U.S. 20 at Cleveland Avenue.

The city is currently trying to determine if the billboard is indeed on city property and if the billboard's owner has an agreement with the city. Evans said they have found no contractual agreement with the owner of the billboard.

"If we receive evidence to the contrary ... a new location would have to be determined."



Contact reporter Amanda Haverstick at ahaverstick@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Dave]

Perpetual easement? WTF? How about a lease instead?
And if these things are in violation of city ordinances, why are they not simply being bulldozed? I wonder if Outdoor One makes some carefully targetted election fund donations.

[edgeywood]

Perpetual easement? WTF? How about a lease instead?
And if these things are in violation of city ordinances, why are they not simply being bulldozed? I wonder if Outdoor One makes some carefully targetted election fund donations.

From 2/5/08 News-Dispatch:
Both billboards owned by Outdoor One are in or near residential areas, which Mayor Chuck Oberlie said is the problem with zoning.

"In our opinion, when these were being approved, the permits were issued in error," he said. "How far they are from residential areas; that's the problem. We just think they were approved when they shouldn't have been."


Someone approved the original billboards. They had a permit. Kind of like the Sheridan Beach tower debacle....

[Southsider2k12]

From 2/5/08 News-Dispatch:
Both billboards owned by Outdoor One are in or near residential areas, which Mayor Chuck Oberlie said is the problem with zoning.

"In our opinion, when these were being approved, the permits were issued in error," he said. "How far they are from residential areas; that's the problem. We just think they were approved when they shouldn't have been."
Someone approved the original billboards. They had a permit. Kind of like the Sheridan Beach tower debacle....

What is it with none of our elected or appointed officials not knowing how to do their jobs? This is just pathetic.

[MC Born & Raised]

This whole issue seems a little nuts to me. We're talking about billboards placed in the middle of town. Who cares? Now we're expecting tax dollars to be spent to relocate a couple advertising devices? Doesn't that seem a little unreasonable to anyone?

I'm born and raised in this town and I love everything about it, but sometimes we get riled up about really dumb things. I feel like there are other things happening around here that could use whatever attention might be focused on a couple of silly billboards.

[Ang]

I feel like there are other things happening around here that could use whatever attention might be focused on a couple of silly billboards.

That's the whole point. The political leaders want to divert attention to the little things and take the focus away from the big issues. This is how the citizens of MC get snow-jobbed into voting for these idiots again and again.

[Dave]

Well, heck, if the billboards were in Chicago and the Mayor didn't like them, we'd wake up one morning and they's just be gone.

Kind of like my favorite ex-airport....

[Southsider2k12]

Well, heck, if the billboards were in Chicago and the Mayor didn't like them, we'd wake up one morning and they's just be gone.

Kind of like my favorite ex-airport....

Maybe if Chuck could give a press confrence like Richie, people wouldn't be so hard on him

[MC Born & Raised]

Come to think of it, there seems to be an epidemic when it comes to misappropriation of tax dollars. For instance, did anyone see the dog and pony show Wednesday on Capitol Hill? Are we really to believe our representatives have NOTHING better to do with their time than talk to a disgraced pitcher and a lower-than-scum steroids pusher? What's going on here?

And on the same day, some pud from Pennsylvania is talking to the NFL commissioner about something that was — and should be — handled in-house. Where's the outrage?

And did anyone catch Dan Burton from Indiana berating that trainer? What a moral compass THAT guy is. He made himself sound like a big ol' silly goober.

Sorry if this is considered a threadjack, but that stuff's been bothering me for a while. It's just that, Congress should stay out of sports unless it's a matter of life or death

That is all.

[Southsider2k12]

Being a huge lifelong baseball fan, there is one problem with that. Baseball was given an anti-trust exemption by Congress many years ago. Literally the only oversight of baseball is by the Congress themselves. Baseball needs the exemption lifted, because they sure haven't done a very good job of looking after the game themselves.

[Dave]

[threadjack]

Being a huge lifelong baseball fan, there is one problem with that. Baseball was given an anti-trust exemption by Congress many years ago. Literally the only oversight of baseball is by the Congress themselves. Baseball needs the exemption lifted, because they sure haven't done a very good job of looking after the game themselves.

I think you'll find the antitrust exemption was done originally by the Supreme Court in Federal Baseball Club v. National League in 1922.

Though I have to say that the exemption makes no sense to me whatsoever.

[/threadjack]

[Southsider2k12]

[threadjack]
I think you'll find the antitrust exemption was done originally by the Supreme Court in Federal Baseball Club v. National League in 1922.

Though I have to say that the exemption makes no sense to me whatsoever.

[/threadjack]

Interesting, I did not know that. But that still does leave the anti-trust exemption and its oversight up to Congress, correct? They could outlaw or repeal their anti-trust exemption with a new law, right?

[Ang]

Okay, lets slowly work this thread back to its original topic. Remember, I said slowly. Earlier MCBorn talked about how the city exaggerates small issue to divert attention away from the bigger issues. Following is a beautiful letter to the Anvil Chorus about that....

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=50169.45

City Ignoring Real Problems
In her letter to Anvil Chorus Sunday, Ruth Jones stated that the proposal to create an equal-employment officer was an attempt to diminish the uproar created when Sanitary District Superintendent Al Walus created a job and subsequently filled it by hiring his brother-in-law [ "Equal-employment officer unneeded"].

That seems to be the pattern here in Michigan City. Instead of addressing the real problem, create an ordinance designed to give the appearance of concern or action. In 2006, four people died in an illegal boarding house and the city's only response to date is to propose a smoke detector ordinance.

Instead of creating an elaborate and expensive inspection and registration process, why not simply enforce the existing codes regarding smoke detectors, boarding houses and negligence that result in loss of life?

The beginning of the year produced a flurry of proposed ordinances, addressing everything from the perceived length of the City Council meetings to a law banning weapons in city offices. Useless and unenforceable ordinances breed a general disrespect for the law.

There's no shortage of real problems in this city and there's no shortage of laws and ordinances designed to address them. City officials, board members and department heads shirk their responsibilities and no one is censured. You can't legislate this mess away, someone has to step up and demand accountability and enforcement.

Sharon Carnes

Michigan City

[Southsider2k12]

I am going to divert the thread again just to say, that is the reason why we need places like here, shows like News and Views, and every other form of public awareness of what goes on in our fair City. The only way to clean up this crap, and keep the spotlight firmly where it belongs is by giving people a place that they can control what is being talked about.

[Dave]

You can't legislate this mess away, someone has to step up and demand accountability and enforcement.

Delegating responsible for good government to anyone (or some nebulous 'someone') is, well, something a good citizen really can not do. WE ALL have to step up and demand it, monitor it, and require it. We all have to keep at it, or government is going to be run not by those who do it for the common good, but for those who are in it for themselves -- for the fame, for the power, or for the profit.

I agree in principle with most of what Ms. Carnes says, but we can't sit back and wait for someone else to provide us with good government, we have to step up and do it ourselves.

With apologies to Pogo, "We have met the someone, and someone is us!"