Sandwich Board Signs Can Stay, Council Decides

If you're used to getting reminders about upcoming community events courtesy of the sandwich board signs frequently placed outside Hellertown Borough Hall, you need not fret.

After discussing the possibility of doing away with the signs earlier this month, Borough Council members decided Aug. 19 that they fulfill a crucial need.

Council members decided there was no need to make changes to the borough's official sign policy—which was last amended in 2005—and ultimately took no action.

Some council members had expressed concerns about the signs being unattractive, especially in the wake of improvements that were recently made to the public areas surrounding Borough Hall.

"It's not a problem, so we don't have to fix it," Councilman Tom Rieger said.

According to the current policy, temporary signs outside Borough Hall can be kept up for a maximum of 14 days.

There are also maximum size and height requirements for the signs, and applications to place them on borough property must be submitted in advance.

In response to a question from an audience member about the possibility of installing a digital sign outside Borough Hall, Borough Manager Cathy Kichline said council would need to approve an exception to its zoning ordinance, which currently forbids the use of "dynamic" signs in the town center district in which Borough Hall is located.

"We've talked about [an electronic sign] many times but we have yet to jump on it fully," council President Phil Weber said.

Council members agreed that the current types of signs being used should be placed on the grassy area near the Water Street-Main Street intersection.

The signs used to be placed at the intersection, but the construction of a low wall that bears the words "Borough of Hellertown" means they must now be placed slightly to the west, along Water Street.