Amador County – The Amador Supervisors Land Use Committee held a workshop Thursday on county banner regulations, with several business owners speaking in support of having no time limit for the banners.

Under current code, businesses can have only one banner at any one time, no more than a total of 90 days a year. Sharon Cassella, who owns Strings Restaurant and employs 20 local people, said it was not enough time. She encouraged lifting the time limit and supported having professionally made and quality guidelines.

Rene Chapman encouraged using signs that are effective and attract business but “do not go overboard.” She played a clip of a recent “Your Town” workshop discussing sign blight and tourism.

Cassella said “I would love to be a tourist destination,” but “we’re not getting business from tourists. Our business is local.” She said “Jackson has all those signs” but its code is not enforced: “That’s our competition.”

She said “this is about letting us stay in business,” and “I can’t afford $225 every week in the Buy & Sell just to say we have bread bowls.” She plans to spend $400 on a “bread bowl” banner at Merzlak Signs, and another $110 to have it professionally hung on her building, and did not want to have to get a permit as well.

Michael Wiseman, who employs 100 people in Roundtable Pizza restaurants in Amador and Calaveras Counties, said he is considering closing his Martell restaurant. He said banners help his business, but a time limit would be very difficult to enforce.

Wiseman, who attended Amador High School, said he would like to use a “100 mph sign,” about 3 feet wide, 16-20 feet long, with red and yellow colors, and specific, enticing wording. He said he would spend the money for professional signs, and would regularly change them.

Wiseman said he needed off-site signage as well, and without permission, he had placed a sign on SPI’s land on a trailer right across the street from Moutain Mikes, his old location. He said it was really helping, but “about six weeks ago, I got in quite a bit of trouble” and took it out.

Amador County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Borchin said it’s called “entrepreneurialism” or “gorilla marketing, until you get caught.” Borchin said.

“The County, Chamber, Amador Council of Tourism, and Economic Development all have the responsibility to promote business.” He said “geo-tourism is the future, but we’re all on dial-up.”

Borchin said Amador County needs to increase its economic tax base, and “I see this as a responsibility of all of us to support each other.”

The next workshop is 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.