Council sends sign regulation request to committee inactive since Sept. 2014
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, 4 p.m. — A request from Bardstown business owners for more flexibility in the city’s sign regulations was sent for review to a committee that hasn’t held a meeting since September 2014.
The letter requesting changes to the city’s sign ordinance in regard to temporary signs was signed only as “Bardstown Merchants.” Click to enlarge.
At its meeting Tuesday night, the Bardstown City Council reviewed a letter asking the council to consider a sign regulation change that will allow city businesses more opportunity to use temporary signs.
The letter, addressed to the mayor and council, had no signature other than “Bardstown Merchants.”
City Clerk Barbie Bryant told the council she did not know what individuals, group or association sent the request.
City sign regulations now allow temporary signs to be used for four seven-day periods throughout the calendar year. The letter asked the city to add two additional temporary sign opportunities, making a total of six.
The letter argued that the change would benefit current and future businesses in the city limits.
City Attorney Tim Butler said there was no legal problem with adding additional temporary signs, but there was confusion regarding what group had authored the letter making the request.
Dawn Pryzstal, director of the city-county tourist commission, told the council she believed the letter may have originated from the Bourbon Task Force and the chamber of commerce on behalf of all the city’s businesses.
“I think its something designed to make it more friendly toward signage to all businesses in Bardstown,” she said. “It did not originate with the downtown merchants.”
Larry Green, the city’s human resources director and former chair of the city’s sign committee, told the council that the city’s sign ordinance does not apply to businesses in the historic district. Those signs are governed by the Historic Review Board.
Councilman Fred Hagan said he wanted to know who sent the letter.
“I’m generally OK with the request,” Hagan said, “But I would like to know who is presenting this.”
Green suggested the request go to the city’s sign committee for review, citing the committee’s membership that included a good cross section of business owners and professionals.
The council took no vote, but was generally in agreement to send the request to the sign committee.
SIGN COMMITTEE HISTORY. Green was the last chairman of the committee when it was active in late 2014.
Former Councilman Tommy Reed was chair of the most recent incarnation of the sign committee when it formed in August 2014.
That 19-member committee was formed in August 2014 following a Bardstown businesswoman’s successful appeal of her sign ordinance violation before the city council. The council upheld her appeal at a July 2014 hearing by voting against the city’s own sign regulations.
The sign committee that resulted was tasked with improving the existing sign ordinance language and making it easier to understand. The committee was also asked to address newer advertising technologies like LED signs.
The committee was chaired by then-Councilman Tommy Reed. Reed remained chairman until he resigned on Sept. 2, 2014, citing a scheduling flap with then-Mayor Bill Sheckles.
After Reed resigned, Green took over as chairman. The committee met several more times until Green suspended the committee, citing the lack of involvement by representatives from the joint planning commission.
At the time the committee’s work was suspended, it was still in the process of gathering data and input from businesses. The committee issued no recommendations regarding the sign ordinance, though at its last meeting, Green said he planned to use the data the committee accumulated and draft changes to the city sign ordinance.
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