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Job well done

Brian Wilkinson

By Brian Wilkinson

(Updated: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 1:25 PM)

Only eight local businesses are currently in non-compliance with the Oakhurst Area Sign Ordinance. Of the seven, two are expected to have their signs replaced or modified within the next 60 days.

The 92 businesses who took it upon themselves to comply with the sign ordinance, at no small expenditure of time and money, deserve a big "job well done."

Having government tell you how to run your business, or in this case, how tall your sign can be, is not an easy pill to swallow. The business community of Oakhurst has acted for the good of the entire community and the town looks better for it.

All one has to do is take a close look at the signage throughout the area to recognize the transformation that has taken place.

Was it easy for all of them to do? No.

Was it a financial burden for some? Yes.

Collectively, the business community has made a huge contribution to what the sign ordinance was originally designed to do -- the removal of visual clutter and protection of the natural scenic beauty of the area.

Maybe we will no longer hear that Highway 41 through Oakhurst "looks like Blackstone Avenue."

Jerry Rankin, manager of Comfort Inn on Highway 41, said he did not realize how much easier it is to read signs that are at eye level, compared to signs that are high in the air. This, from a man whose hotel spent more than $10,000 to overhaul its signage so it would be in compliance.

Kathy McCorry at the Chamber of Commerce, says she hears every week that the lower profile signs make the town look nicer.

Even if a couple of the merchants feel their signs are legal due to a technicality, we would still encourage them to do what is right for the community. All they have to do is bite the bullet, spend the money and join the beautification team.

In addition to the business community, we also want to thank some of the people who worked tirelessly on the ordinance during the original planning stages more than 15 years ago and recently. Primarily chamber members, these community-minded folks included Patrice Jensen, Gary Pence, Doug Macaulay, David Nemeth, George Sitts, Jerry Newton, Bob Brossi, Ronna Adler, Gene Krieghoff, Peggy Stackhouse, Chris Russell, Stan and George Smith, Anne Jeanette Rankin, Cindy Martin, Hank Lyday, Jill Claiborne, Noreen McDonald and Kathy McCorry.