GIRARD Officials revisit laws on portable business signs

GIRARD -- The city administration and council are looking to make the city more attractive and a safer place to live.
Toward that end they are taking a new look at city laws governing portable commercial signs. Signs not permanently affixed to the ground or a building are prohibited.
Mayor James Melfi, who owns a small business, said portable signs should be permitted temporarily for three to four months so the public knows a business has opened and where it's located.
After that time, they should be removed, he added.
Melfi thinks it will add to the esthetics of the city and make it safer because some signs are too close to the street, blocking the sight of motorists pulling out of parking lots.
"You have to be fair to everyone," Melfi said.
Another issue: Melfi said the city also has renewed its effort to remove vehicles parked on the grassy strips between sidewalks and curbs.
Not only are they safety hazards, the mayor said, but zoning violations in residential areas.
Melfi said some property owners think they can park on the curb lawns because they are convinced they own the land.
Melfi said the city owns the strips, and removing the vehicles will also improve the appearance of neighborhoods.