OTTAWA — At last week’s Ottawa City Commission meeting, small business owners Barry Banzet and Aaron Bien criticized the city’s sign and street policies. Banzet expressed his opposition to city planning and zoning rules that prevents the owner of a sign putting it back up after it was knocked down by a recent windstorm. Banzet said he just paid $2,000 to put his sign on the sign, which is in the 1800 south block of the northbound Princeton Street. A little more than half of the sign was blown down onto the groud but the city won’t let the sign’s owner reinstall it, he said. The sign doesn’t comply with city planning rules, but because it was put up 40 years ago, it was allowed to stay. Under city rules, because more than half of the sign was knocked down, it can’t be replaced. The city says that part of the sign that’s still standing can remain. Body shop owner Bien expressed his displeasure because the city hasn’t been willing to apply chip-and-seal pavement to the roads in the First Street industrial park where he has his shop. He said he’s been requesting the pavement for years, without any response from the city. He got a response from Mayor Gene Ramsey and city manager Richard Nienstedt, who said they would look at his request but noted that because of the heavy trucks using the park, most city officials haven’t been willing to use the light-duty pavement.
Monday, Sept. 12, noon
