Covington Billboards fate still up in air

Billboards' fate still up in the air City board delays making a decision


Two electronic billboards along Interstate 71/75 in Covington will stay lit, for now.
The city's code enforcement board needs more time to sort out the cases, said Keith Bales, director of code enforcement for Covington. "No decision will be made until Sept. 12," Bales said Friday.
The code enforcement board regulates the city's nuisance codes and zoning violations.
The city cited the owners of the billboard, Lamar Outdoor Advertising and Lewisberg Enterprises, for violation of zoning code, according to Covington City Manager Jay Fossett. The board had a hearing on the Lamar citation July 18 and decided Wednesday that it needed more time to make its decision, Bales said.
If the board upholds the citation, Lamar has the right to appeal to the Kenton District Court. If the board withdraws the citation, the city could also appeal to the district court, Fossett said.
Frank Warnock, Covington's city solicitor, said the continuation means the billboards get to keep on shining. "The signs will remain in operation for the time being," he said.
Lamar converted a static sign, located east of Interstate 75 near 12th Street in Covington, into an electronic billboard in 2006. State officials said the sign violated a state law that bans electronic billboards along highways.
The Lewisberg billboard, near the 600 block of Pike Street in Covington, was converted to an electronic format in May. The code enforcement board has yet to discuss that case.
Warnock said Covington generally does not allow billboards, whether they are electronic or not. "The signs you do see in Covington are grandfathered in," he said.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet contends the Lamar and Lewisberg billboards are illegal.
"We told them, take them down, turn them off until they can be reverted back to permitted configurations," said Doug Hogan, director of public affairs for the cabinet.
Tom Fahey, vice president and general manager for Lamar in Cincinnati, said the company is working with the state on language that would clarify the law. He said the state is reviewing its regulations and considering updates to its codes to allow the LED billboards.
Ohio allows the electronic billboards, but requires screen changes no quicker than every eight seconds, and that they fade in and fade out. The state prohibits blinking lights or scrolling text.
Warnock said there is a safety concern for those driving past the signs.
Mike Norton, vice president of Norton Outdoor Advertising in Cincinnati, said, however, that two studies commissioned by the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education found that traffic accidents are no more likely to happen in the presence of digital billboards than in their absence.

Source: Cincinnati Post By Tom Demeropolis Post staff reporter