Amador County – Amador County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 Tuesday to amend county sign code to allow two banners to be displayed by any one business during a declared economic downturn.

The banners will be limited to 60 square feet each, 120 square feet total, and displayed only in Commercial or Manufacturing zones in unincorporated Amador County.

Supervisor Vice Chairman Richard Forster voted against the amendment, saying he supported allowing three banners in economic hard times. Supervisor Ted Novelli said he would go along with that but Supervisors John Plasse and Brian Oneto disagreed. The Chairman, Supervisor Louis Boitano was absent due to medical leave.

Oneto said it would be a happy medium for him to allow two banners. Plasse said he would not support the third banner for economic needs because it would mean 180 square feet of signage, which he thought was too much for drivers to read.

In public comment before the vote, Walter Wiseman of Roundtable Pizza in Martell thanked supervisors, saying: “This has been a long road,” and he has been working with the Planning Department for 6 months. He said two banners will help, and three would be great.

Novelli asked Wiseman how he would use three banners. Wiseman said his first banner would promote the lunch buffet. The second would promote a daily pizza special. The third promotion, he said, would have to be done to keep from hurting pizza sales. Once he did a special sandwich sale with a third banner, and sold sandwiches. He increased sandwich sales from a typical 150-200 to 770 in just over two months, and it didn’t hurt pizza sales.

He pays up to $400 for a banner that is 3x20 feet, which he calls a 100 mph banner because theoretically if you were driving 100 mph on Highway 49, you could read it. Plasse said: “But you wouldn’t be able to read three.” Oneto said: “Just so you don’t get an outer space banner.”

Wiseman said the water tower at the Martell shopping center has “mocked” him for some time, and he wished he could advertise the center on it. He said Roundtable has rented a highway billboard, but the cost was $1,200 a month. Novelli said: “I’m in favor of your water tower.”

Forster said he was still an advocate for the third banner, because putting up nice banners is going to help your business during economic hard times.

 Planner Cara Augustin said consideration for a declaration of economic need should be on the next regular agenda, May 8.

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