More Controversy Amid Sidewalk Obstruction Frenzy

Since last we spoke the situation regarding sidewalk obstruction regulation has gone nuclear.  Please read my July 10 post for an overview of the situation.


Before I continue, I want to give a shout out to an avid reader of this blog: Dale McPherson, a member of Southport's Planning Board.  I had no idea that Dale was such a fan until the most recent Planning Board meeting.  Dale mentioned a comment I made in a post in April about my duties as a liaison to the Planning Board as directed by the Mayor.  He felt that the comment made the Planning Board look bad and I should be (somehow) officially required to temper my blog comments.  Wow, I didn't think my opinions had that much impact.


Why was this brought up at the meeting of a busy and important city board, instead of talking directly with me about the "problem" ?  You can ask Dale, or perhaps another city official who likely asked Dale to bring it up at the board's public meeting.  Next time, guys, send me an e-mail or leave a comment right here on the blog.  Don't waste valuable time at a Planning Board meeting in an attempt to embarrass me.


Let's get back to the sidewalk obstruction situation.  My blog post of 7/10/10 takes us up to this point. On Sunday, July 11 the Mayor sent us an e-mail asking us to consider a public statement regarding the letter to the merchants and our desire to remedy the situation.  The e-mail stated, "Now is not the time for us, as a Board to send mixed signals... Please consider the possibility of making a brief and direct joint statement to the news media and other information dissemination sources."


The Mayor then provided an example of the statement  he'd like to see and asked for our feedback.
4 of the 6 board members (myself included) felt that the statement was flawed.  My concerns were that it promised things the board may not be able to deliver, and it blamed the public outcry from the letter on the city manager.  We also had not decided on a process by which to deal with the situation, so maybe we should wait until that was done.  After submitting our comments we heard nothing...


...until the morning of Monday, July 12 when the letter appeared on the website of the State Port Pilot newspaper.  It was signed by the Mayor and 2 other aldermen.  It clearly indicated that the other 4 (including me) were not concerned with this problem and had refused to sign the letter.  What?  Weren't we in the process of discussing the statement we would issue?  I never even got to hear the feedback from the 2 aldermen who did sign the letter.  Was this a calculated action by the Mayor to focus public anger at the 4 of us who disagreed with him and the city manager? You can read the full account in the July 14 State Port Pilot and decide for yourself http://www.stateportpilot.com/articles/2010/07/16/front_page_news/doc4c3db8968dbc6006308425.txt


Bottom line:  there will be a public meeting on Wednesday to begin discussion of the issue and receive public comments:

SPECIAL BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING

Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 6:30 PM at City Hall

Hope to see you then - Ken

Concerned Merchants and Citizens React To Letter

Merchants were startled (as was I) about a letter sent to them by the City Manager regarding the new ordinance that allows A-frame signs in front of businesses with some restrictions (for safety and ADA compliance).  The letter also contained information about an existing city ordinance which prohibits placing anything on the city (or state) sidewalks.  Neither the aldermen or the Mayor knew that the sidewalk obstruction code was going to be addressed in the letter.  The city manager was just trying to enforce the city's laws, which is his duty.

Unfortunately, once the information hit the media it has created an outcry from every corner of the city.  Most of the postings on the State Port Pilot Facebook page (which features a link to the article) show that the person commenting did not read the article carefully.  They blame the aldermen (especially yours truly) and city government in general for being unnecessarily harsh with the merchants, and out of touch with the will of the citizens.

I certainly understand the merchant's concerns because they received the notice about removing sidewalk obstructions (like tables, benches and store merchandise) with no warning or explanation.  The citizens feel we are trying to destroy local businesses and ruin the character and ambiance of Southport.  Neither accusation is true.  Please read on and learn the real story.

The article in the State Port Pilot is accurate, but hardly any of the comments on Facebook reflect complete knowledge of the article.  Here is a review of the facts:

• Prior to June 10, 2010, the city code of ordinances stated that A-frame signs are prohibited in all areas, and nothing at all was permitted on the city sidewalks.
• An ordinance was passed by the board on June 10 which allows A-frame signs with some restrictions for safety, sign quality and compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.
• The aldermen never discussed the issue of sidewalk obstructions at any meeting and did not vote to do anything about them.  Unfortunately, in an effort to address all sidewalk issues, the City Manager included other sidewalk obstructions in his recent letter to merchants informing them about the sign changes.  He was just enforcing the existing law.
• It was a series of complaints to the city that prompted the City Manager and Code Enforcement to start enforcing the (then) existing ordinances regarding sidewalk items.
• Benches, tables, potted plants and other sidewalk items will not be prohibited until the board has a chance to review the current ordinance and assess merchant concerns and public opinion.
• The City is working on several fronts to increase the number of visitors coming to Southport, and to help existing businesses flourish.  They include adding economic development to the duties of the new director of tourism, formation of a Tourism Development Authority to dedicate more money to promoting Southport, and the formation of a merchant committee within Downtown Southport, Inc. so retailers have a way to air and discuss issues important to them as well as ways in which those concerns can be addressed.
• City government is not in the business of restricting the ability of our merchants to attract customers or destroying the character of Southport.
• The perception that "newbies" are responsible for these recent events in an attempt to remake Southport is completely false.  An evil cabal of transplants who seek to change Southport does not exist.  

I implore all citizens to learn the facts, avoid jumping to the conclusion that city government is trying to control you and ruin Southport, and make your feelings known to the Aldermen.  You can easily contact me via e-mail at aldermanken@bellsouth.net, by phone at 269-8970, or in person on the street or during my office hours just before every regular board meeting (2nd Thursday of the month) from 3:30 - 5:30 PM upstairs in the conference room just off the aldermen's chambers at City Hall.

Public feedback is critical to every decision we make.  Let your voice be heard.  Our next meeting is a continuation of the July 8 meeting.  It will take place on July 31 at 8:00 AM, but the discussion of the obstruction ordinance will be about 1 hour into the meeting.  I hope to see you there.