Jennifer Solis
Correspondent
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WEST NEWBURY — Selectmen have asked Building Inspector Glenn Clohecy to take another look at the bylaws governing what types of signs can be displayed around town and how best to equitably enforce them.
Following a complaint earlier this month by resident Rosemarie Cobb regarding overuse of flags by businesses in town, selectmen asked Clohecy to clarify his process for dealing with signs that violate the bylaw. The board reviewed his written response at a meeting on Wednesday but needed more input on the issue before deciding whether to bring a new version of the bylaw to town meeting voters.
"We are not enforcing the sign bylaw we have, so why are we making a new one?" Selectman Glenn Kemper said.
Emphasizing that the bylaw needs updating, Clohecy indicated he could work on a revision that would be shorter than the one presented by the Planning Board to voters at the annual town meeting in April 2009. At that time, voters rejected the proposed bylaw change, in part because it was too restrictive, Selectman Chairman Tom Atwood reminded his colleagues.
In a memo dated Aug. 23, Clohecy stressed that the majority of signs erected around town are without prior approval or review for zoning compliance. Like most other building inspectors, Clohecy stated he has always treated enforcement of the sign bylaw as "a complaint-driven process." Residents who have an issue about a sign should send a "written, signed letter of complaint to the Zoning Enforcement Officer outlining their complaints and any requested enforcement," Clohecy wrote. He said he then investigates and typically responds in writing to the complainant within 14 days.
Under the current bylaw, signs are permitted as follows:
An announcement sign advertising goods and services available on the premises, or the name of the occupant, not exceeding 10 square feet
One freestanding sign for a shopping center or industrial park approved with the site plan but not exceeding 40 square feet
One temporary sign for each increment of required frontage not exceeding 12 square feet each, advertising the property on which it is located for sale or lease
Directional signs, memorial plaques, and historical markers, building names or other identification signs attached to a building, not to exceed 2 square feet.
Signs may not be lit internally or have moving parts; nor may they oscillate or flash, except for those portions displaying time or weather. They can't be placed on or be part of a moveable trailer or platform.
"I have taken photos of most — if not all — of the nonconforming signs on Main Street from Newburyport to Groveland. There are approximately 20 signs that fall into the nonconforming category. At least seven of those belong to the town or the schools," Clohecy said.
This summer, issues related to proper signage have appeared on the selectmen's agenda more than once. At a meeting on Aug. 11, selectmen reviewed a letter of complaint from Cobb regarding flags along Main Street at the ice cream stand at Long Hill Orchard and at Ocean View near Spring Brown Farm, which she stated were "very distractive to drivers as well as cluttering up a beautiful residential neighborhood." As a result, the board asked Clohecy for a written explanation on how he decides which business signs are permitted and which ones he demands are removed.
Then, on Aug. 25, selectmen reviewed a copy of a letter Clohecy issued to Angela and Frank Schifano of Georgetown concerning a nonconforming For Sale sign at 901 Main St. The sign, which has since been removed, measured 32 square feet, instead of the allowable 12 feet.
According to the letter, the Schifanos had 48 hours to remove the sign or face fines of $100 per each day of noncompliance. The bylaw states that an appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals on Clohecy's decision could have been made within 30 days of the issuance of his letter by obtaining an appeal form from the town clerk or the Inspection Departments.
