Friday, April 4, 2014 | North Kitsap Herald
NorthKitsapHerald.com
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City Council repeals $50 sandwich board sign fee By RICHARD D. OXLEY
roxley@northkitsapherald.com
POULSBO — The City Council has made a corrective turn in a new regulation after seeing signs that it may not be working as planned. The Poulsbo City Council voted unanimously to repeal the $50 fee for registering a business’ sandwich board signs, common to sidewalks and roadsides around the city.
“Our objective is to try to get he sandwich board signs out there documented, know who the owners are, and where they are being placed, and we felt that the $50 burden on them is not reasonable,” said Councilman Jeff McGinty at the City Council’s April 2 meeting. While the fee is gone, the city still wants to document the signs. “So we want to take that
(fee) away, but we want to get compliance like we did with the downtown parking, do a soft deal, get the word out but not penalize anybody,” McGinty said. City planners are now pursuing a policy of voluntary compliance for the sandwich board signs, hoping that businesses will register their signs and adhere to regulations which include removing the sign overnight.
City approves Nelson Park trail POULSBO — Two of Poulsbo’s popular scenic attractions will be connected after the installation of a trail. A new, 600-foot gravel trail will be constructed between Nelson Park and Fish Park, along the northwest shore of Liberty Bay. Planning Department staff approved a permit for the trail on March 28. A total of 480 feet of the pedestrian trail will run through the 125-foot shoreline buffer and setback of Liberty Bay, and another
260 feet will cross a trail easement over private commercially-developed land along the south border of Lindvig Way. To mitigate the shoreline buffer, the city will remove 5,800 square feet of non-native and invasive plants within the buffer, and replace it with native vegetation. The trail will also include a 30-foot wooden staircase, and 20 feet of timber steps to help walkers navigate steep slopes. The new pathway will be
constructed on the Nelson Park side and through an easement over private property, and connect to an existing trial under the Lindvig Way bridge that leads to Fish Park. Nelson Park is an 11-acre area on the northwest shore of Liberty Bay that includes a playground, picnic area, shelter, paths and more. Neighboring Fish Park across Lindvig Way is more than 20 acres with trails, an arboretum, bridges and more.
Prep Sports Schedules KINGSTON April 5: North Kitsap boys lacrosse hosts Tahoma, 10 a.m. April 8: Baseball against Bremerton, JV away, 4:15 p.m. Varsity hosts, 4:15 p.m. Fastpitch against Bremerton, JV away, 4:15 p.m. Varsity hosts, 4:15 p.m. Boys soccer at Klahowya, 3:30 p.m. Girls tennis at North Kitsap, 4 p.m. Coed golf hosts Bremerton, 3 p.m. April 9: Varsity baseball at Port Townsend, 4:15 p.m. Varsity fastpitch at Port Townsend, 4:15 p.m. April 10: North Kitsap girls JV lacrosse
hosts Bellingham JV (Strawberry Field), 6 p.m. Baseball against Olympic, JV away, 4:15 p.m. Varsity hosts, 4:15 p.m. Fastpitch against Olympic, JV away, 4:15 p.m. Varsity hosts, 4:15 p.m. Boys soccer hosts Bremerton, JV 5 p.m., Varsity 6:45 p.m. Girls tennis hosts North Mason, 4 p.m. Coed golf at Port Townsend, 3 p.m. NORTH KITSAP April 8: Baseball against Port Angeles, JV away, 4:15 p.m. Varsity hosts, 4:15 p.m. Fastpitch hosts Port Angeles, 4:15 p.m. Boys soccer at Bremerton, JV 5 p.m.
Varsity 6:45 p.m. Girls tennis hosts Kingston, 4 p.m. Coed golf at Sequim, 3 p.m. April 9: Fastpitch at Quilcene, 3:45 p.m. April 10: Baseball against North Mason, JV away, 4:15 p.m. Varsity hosts, 4:15 p.m. Fastpitch hosts North Mason, 4:15 p.m. Boys soccer hosts Port Townsend, JV 5 p.m. Varsity 6:45 p.m. Girls tennis at Port Townsend, 4 p.m. April 11: Baseball against Bremerton, JV hosts, 4:15 p.m. Varsity away, 4:15 p.m. Girls tennis at North Mason, 4 p.m.
KITSAP PRINTING
The city established the regulations in 2013 that were approved by the council and designed to declutter the city’s roadsides with safety and aesthetics in mind. The regulations drew ire from some in the local business community. The city began accepting sign applications in November 2013, and began enforcing the regulations at the start of 2014. Now, four months into the year, the
City Council has overturned the fee. Businesses that have already paid a $50 fee to register their sign — referred to as a “minority” at the meeting — will get a refund. A total of 20 businesses have registered their signs with the city, and paid the $50. It was noted at the meeting that there maybe a penalty established for sign violators. According to the regulation, the city can remove
signs that are in violation of the code. Business owners can retrieve their signs from the city within 30 days after paying a fee; the fee has yet to be determined. The city will mail letters to business owners in May that will apprise them of the updated regulation, and also include a registration form. The form has been simplified from the original, which merchants complained was too complicated.
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