By Russ Tarby

Contributing Writer

Local municipalities from Liverpool to DeWitt are reconsidering their temporary-sign ordinances that regulate A-frame “sandwich” signs. Business owners insist those signs are essential to draw walk-in customers, while residents, motorists and municipal planners say sandwich signs clutter the local landscape and endanger drivers.

The village of North Syracuse is also wrangling with this dilemma and will conduct a public hearing on the matter at 6:28 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at the North Syracuse Community Center.

A village signs committee has recommended fine-tuning the temporary sign ordinance that now allows sandwich signs to be used any 40 days within a year. At its Sept. 22 meeting, the village board of trustees heard from committee member Dave Robinson, who reported that the committee recommends regulating such signage quarterly. “But the fee would be prorated,” he said, so that businesses could decide to use the signs for a few weeks, or for a certain month.

If they pay the fee every calendar quarter, a business could theoretically display A-frame signs 365 days a year.

Presently village businesses are charged $10 for 40 days of sandwich sign usage annually, but the committee has recommended a change to $15 for a calendar quarter and prorated to cost $5 a month.

Another proposal would require business owners to take down the temporary signs during non-business hours.

The committee also discussed regulating digital and electronic signage.

“Electronic signs are more complicated,” Robinson said. “We recommend that we follow the examples of [the towns of] Clay and Cicero,” which require planning board site review for each proposed electronic sign.

The village signs committee included Mayor Gary Butterfield, Trustee Pat Gustafson, Codes Enforcement Officer Dave Barnhart and residents Dave Robinson, Dan Welch, Fred Wilmer and Sam D’Amico.

Following the signs hearing on Oct. 13, the village board will conduct a public hearing on a proposed local law adopting changes to required flood plan management measures.

Fire Station 1 to be paved

In other business, the board also unanimously approved the awarding of a $43,750 contract to Salt Springs Paving Corporation of Jamesville for apron work and paving at the North Syracuse Fire Department’s Station 1 at 109 Chestnut St.

Salt Springs’ $43,750 bid was the lowest of four submitted by area contractors, including Ruston Paving’s high bid of $64,677.

Salt Springs Paving will construct a concrete apron in front of the fire department’s headquarters stretching to the road’s edge.  The apron will extend from the immediate garage area of the building where the trucks idle before pulling in or pulling out, and asphalt will then extend from the concrete apron to the road; northsyracuseny.org.