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.

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....

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

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....

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.

[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]

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

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