The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – The Dayton Planning Department is offering a final workshop this Thursday from 6-8 p.m. in the Delaney Building at the Dayton Memorial Library regarding current city regulations for retail signs including permanent signs on buildings and temporary signs such as sandwich boards on sidewalks.

Last week Planning Director Karen Scharer and her Whitman College intern Katie Stewart met with several downtown and "fringe" commercial business owners (such as the Port of Columbia) in two workshops that drew 11 people altogether. "There was a lot of mixed opinions, and we realize a sign code is not going to solve everyone's problems," Scharer said Tuesday. "But we definitely want everyone to be heard. We want to make sure we understand their perspectives and allow them to present their ideas."

Scharer's office plans to begin drafting an ordinance following Thursday's final workshop. "Our intentions were to move quickly to a public hearing at the end of March, however enough questions came up that I feel it's important to do more research. So we're not going to stay to that schedule."

The planning department may still schedule public hearings in April or May on the revised codes, but Scharer said first she wants to make sure each workshop participant receives a copy of the draft ordinance and has a chance to sit down and meet with the planning department to "work out the kinks."

One major topic of conversation at the workshops last week was possibly allowing "fringe" commercial businesses, such as those located at the Port of Columbia outside downtown where traffic flows at a much higher rate of speed, to post signs that exceed the city's current allowance of 100 square feet total with 60 square feet maximum for each sign and a maximum number of three signs per business.

"It's just not big enough for a business in a huge building, like Jay's Garage," said Port Manager Jennie Dickinson.

Some business owners at the afternoon workshop last Wednesday wondered what the city was going to do about businesses that already exceed the city's allowances for signage. Scharer stated that the revised codes would apply to new businesses or those seeking approval for major changes or new signage.

A second topic of interest was sidewalk signage and objects placed in the city's right-of-way. "Technically the way the code is written it does require city approval for anything in the right-of-way," Scharer said. "But it seems like a number of other jurisdictions have chosen not to require any insurance for sandwich-board signs. They do have a much smaller maximum size than Dayton, and they are temporary signs and usually taken in at night. When you start adding planter boxes that are semi-permanent, that's when jurisdictions start looking at liability insurance."

Scharer said her office wants to do all it can to help business owners, "but then also as a community we need to protect the city from liability as well."

Business owners discussed getting together with the Chamber of Commerce to have workshops or find ways to help each other determine better ways to advertise their shops downtown without violating signs and sidewalk codes. One creative idea that Scharer thought was interesting was whether business owners might be able to temporarily use the flag pole holes on Main Street for some signage.

The planning department will be posting notes and public comments from these workshops on the city's website in the coming weeks. The rough draft of the proposed ordinances will be posted there as well, Scharer said. "My guess is we'll go through a couple of renditions before we forward the draft for a public hearing," she said.