Amador County – Amador County Supervisors in late November discussed a request by Gold Chain Council to return its electronic sign on the Elks Lodge parking lot, but found zoning and county code would not allow it.
Gold Chain Council of the Mother Lode president and owner Pat Crosby told Supervisors Nov. 22 that he has tried to find ways to fund his company without government help. Crosby said: “We are a non-profit” and the “big electronic billboard was going to be a money maker for us.” The “minitron” needs money, and they sold Golden Chain memberships for $600. He told Supervisors: “You turned that down” some time ago. “That’s OK. Everyone did.”
Crosby said: “I own the corporation and I ask you to give it every consideration that you have.” He said the billboard works, and it ran an ad for a new Sutter Creek restaurant for a week before it was shut down, and their business jumped 25 percent.
County Planner Cara Augustin said Caltrans sent a letter that said it would issue a $10,000-a-day fine if Golden Chain did not go through the proper permitting process. Golden Chain’s Bill Byrd said Caltrans inspected the site and said it meets the criteria, and county approval and “gets the $10,000 off our back.”
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said at their first meeting in November, Supervisors deferred enforcement of county banner code. Supervisors discussed whether that was possible in this scenario.
County Counsel Greg Gillott said there is a fairly big distinction between delaying code enforcement versus a letter from Supervisors saying that a sign was OK. Gillott said for this location for this sign, the remedy is that you need to revise the code.
Supervisor Richard Forster said “you need to determine if you want electronic signs or not.” He said “if we need to amend the code, we should do it.”
Supervisor Vice Chairman Louis Boitano said by the time you amend the code, the Golden Chain will be taking the sign back to the company because the lease will be expired.
Boitano said: “I’m not sure that going into the sign ordinance is the wisest thing either,” because “people spent a lot of time making it.”
Since the Nov. 22 meeting, Plasse said, Caltrans has said the county needs to issue a building permit for the sign to be allowed at the Elks Lodge in Martell. It was also discussed for the Golden Chain to seek a different H Zoned parcel in the area.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
