Signs, signs everywhere signs

MEEKER I Meeker’s board of trustees revisited a question about the town’s sign ordinance asked by trustee Rod Gerloff at the last board meeting. Gerloff had asked about the proliferation of vinyl advertising banners around town and where those banners fit into the town’s sign ordinance.
“Town staff does call and or visit property owners when they see signs that are out of compliance,” said Town Administrator Sharon Day. She shared a letter sent out Jan. 5 regarding the ordinance, but requested further direction from the board regarding enforcement of the sign code.
“In a perfect world we would enforce every one of our regulations, but we have limited staff and limited resources, and it’s a lot harder than it appears. Just to go out and try to enforce every one of our codes, there are going to have to be some other things set aside by staff,” Day stated.
The board agreed to continue the methods of enforcement already in place: letters, phone calls, emails, and/or visits from staff when a code violation is noted. As for the banners, business owners may keep advertising banners up for 30 days, with the exception of hunting season-related banners.
The board also discussed the annual lease permits for Ute Park. Currently, the town leases the property to David Smith Ranches for a portion of the year, to the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials for their September event and for the first time this year, to Range Call for the concert.
After considerable discussion, the board directed town attorney Jerry Viscardi to add a clause that permittees will be responsible for the maintenance of both exterior and interior fences at Ute Park and agreed to waive the permit fees for the sheepdog trials and for Range Call.
“I know both of these events didn’t have their strongest years, so if we can save these events $1,000, that’s a help to them and to the town,” said Katelin Cook, trustee.
The lease fee for David Smith Ranches is $2,000 annually. Smith also provides irrigation water and the use of his irrigation pump to “green up” the lower portion of the park prior to Range Call and maintains the hay field.