HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976 01-27 Deisgn Review Board members air gripes to city council THE REVIEW Desi n Review Board members
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air gripes to city council
by Scott Carlson Councilman Norman Anderson won- game"of trying to guess what the council council expressed its opinion on a number
Misunderstandings and problems of dered whether the board felt that the will do. of issues which may alleviate some board
morale were brought out by members of council had backed off from giving it 100 "We should come to agreement of what problems.
the Maplewood Community Design percent support. we want" Councilman Donald Wiegert ''It was the council's consensus that all
Review Board(CDRB)in a meeting with Glasow responded,"It is very difficult said."If we haven't agreed to what we businesses should have an identifying
city councilmen last week. to compete with the businessmen."He want we'll never get anywhere. sign and at least one wall sign. In the
The meeting was called by the council added that for the benefit of new CDRB "The other approach is to do your best cases of shopping centers,such as Keller
recently after it accepted the resignation members the ordinances should be job and be idealistic and expect that you Lake Center, the council felt that one
of CDRB chairman Thomas Glasow and reviewed. will lose a lot of them,"he added. general identifying sign should be
member William Cody.Some councilmen Cody, an outgoing member, faulted allowed.
speculated that there might be He pointed out that guidelines on how
pec g personal many signs a business establishment poor press coverage as partly responsible But the councilmen were not in total
problems on the board. should have or where they should be for morale problems on the board."There agreement on where the line should be
located has been in dispute. is a lack of news on what we do,"he said. drawn on the number of signs.
And some initial suspicions were "...Nobody has heard of the Community John Greavu said that a businessman
verified when various board members Bill Howard, the Planning Corn-
verified Design Review Board.It takes the heart should have a sign explaining"what he
mission's representative to the CDRB,
said they were left with the impression out of the guys." does."
said that the number of council rejections
that their service had been"a waste of He also said that inadequate com- But Howard asked, "Where do you
of Board recommendations has been
time"and"nobody pays any attention to disturbing. In one case an individual's munication between the board and stop?"He pointed out that if the board
request was recommended for denial by council and lack of administrative follow- does not keep a strict watch on how many
In recent months many recom- the board and then later okayed by the up compounded the problems. signs are erected and where they are
mendations of the board have been Concerning the follow-up,Cody said,"I located then businesses could have their
contradicted by subsequent city council council,Howard said. feel we're spinning our wheels and they're own signs blocked out.
actions. Much of the controversy has "The man turned around(at the council (the businessmen)just laughing behind Councilman Donald Wiegert, who
settled around the issue of business signs meeting)and said to me,'You guys(the our backs. tended to agree,said,"I tend to prefer
in the city. CDRB members)sure waste your time. "There is no follow through; nobody just an identifying sign.I'm looking for a
Glasow said his duties required him to They(the councilmen)don't pay a damn goes to check on them(on whether they method short of a whole tablet."
put in an average of eight hours a week on bit of attention to you',"Howard quoted. are meeting permit conditions when Mayor Bruton said that it would be
the board. "Time is a very valuable Mayor Robert Bruton interjected that granted the right to put up signs,etc.)," difficult to establish unyielding sten-
commodity," he said. "I just felt my the board could continue to make Cody said. dards."I guess it's a case of looking at the
contribution to the city wasn't that recommendations which it feels are right The discussion was not,however,en- circumstances and not to have any in-
valuable." or else become involved in a"political tirely devoted to airing gripes as the flexible hard rules,"he contended.
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