Pioneer Press Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:47:55 -0700
St. Paul / Opinions harden in billboard debate
Are they expressions of free speech or pockmarks on the earth?That question is the center of a debate in St. Paul, the land of 600 billboard signs. Some structures have endured for almost a century. Their bold messages about casinos, suicide prevention and "ugly houses" thrive in the heart of the city's neighborhoods. No Minnesota city has more. The St. Paul City Council will consider a plan today to tear down several dozen of those neighborhood posters, so long as media giants like Clear Channel Outdoor are allowed to erect up to 15 digital billboards along freeways. But the proposal doesn't satisfy either side. Clear Channel, which owns most of the billboards in St. Paul, says the trade-down swap is too aggressive and won't allow it to meet its bottom line. Beautification activists argue that the newfangled LED signs distract motorists and shouldn't be allowed at all. "They are unsafe. They are ugly. Why would we want them?" said Jeanne Weigum, a member of the anti-billboard group Scenic St. Paul. Electronic billboards arrived in the Twin Cities about a year ago, taking most communities by surprise. One such dynamic-display sign sprouted along Interstate 94 east of downtown in late 2006, prompting the City Council to impose a one-year moratorium on all new digital boards. The freeze expires in January.
[[keywords: LandUse;Legal;Metro;]]
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