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Local Businesses Voluntarily Comply with Sign Law
By CHRIS MILLER
Kansan Staff Writer
In October, 1966, the city commission passed city ordinance No. 3594, governing the type, size and placement of signs in Lawrence.
Although the ordinance provides penalties for its violation, no charges have been filed against him.
The city building inspector is charged by the ordinance with the responsibility to, "inspire signs and approve if in compliance with the provisions of this ordinance."
His duties include enforcement of provisions applying to existing signs as well as inspection of proposed signs to ensure they meet provisions of the law.
Ken Jorgensen, chief city building inspector, recently described the enforcement procedure followed by his office as informal. In most cases, he said, members of his staff stop and tell violators that their signs are illegal.
THIS IS particularly true of gasoline
nations such, he said, represent most of the
world's gasoline producers.
"They stick up signs all over, advertising all types of things." Jorgensen
said. The service station managers are often not responsible for the signs, he said, since they are often placed by oil company representatives, and not by local
The police, Jorgensen said, help his department keep A-frame signs, which gasoline stations use to advertise gasoline prices, off the city right of way. (Placement of a sign on the city right of way is in violation of the ordinance.)
Milton Allen, Lawrence city attorney, also said the police were instrumental in keeping officers off the city right-of-way. He indicated that no legal action other than verbal orders were involved, and compliance in such cases is considered
TURNOVER OF station managers also presents problems in enforcement.
Alen said, "When one filling station goes out of business, the education process takes a back off."
Regarding the city's reluctance to charge under the ordinance, Allen stated that the city had never found it necessary to prosecute anyone.
"We've found that we've gotten pretty
Allen also said that complaints under the ordinance must come out of the city
good cooperation when these things are brought to people's attention" he said.
John Emick, Lawrence mayor, said that although the commission would decide whether or not to file charges, they would, in part, follow along with what the city attorney said."
Emick added, "We thought maybe we were getting close to it downhill here and as far as I know, all the violators took their signs down so we didn't get to the point where there would be any element of prosecution."
JORGENSEN SAID he thought the city was hesitant about filling charges for her.
He said that, besides himself, there are two full-time inspectors in his department. They are responsible for checking all violations of the city building code, including such things as plumbing and wiring, as well as the sign ordinance.
Emick stated that he didn't think the building inspection department was understaffed particularly as far as the sign ordinance was concerned.
He said this was because sign violations were obvious.
"If anyone puts up a new sign," Emick said, "why can you see it? If it's not in conformance with the ordinance, why must authority commission) generally hear about it."
He said he checked "those things," himself, as, as he said, other commissioners
THE ORDINANCE specifies such things as size, placement, and maintenance of
The ordinance also provides that the city commission shall have the power to grant approval for the construction.
With regard to maintenance, the ordinance states, "All signs, together with all their supports, braces, guys and ladies, shall be kept in place and repair and a proper state of preservation."
Alen said this provision was a factor in the city's "hack of difficulty" with enforcement.
"I think the city commission's been very fair in granting variances where it can be shown that strict compliance will result in hardship for the business," Allen said.
Emick said most of the variances were
"When a business closes up there, the old sign goes down. The new business asks for a sign variance so their sign will look like the adjoining signs." Emick said.
granted to maintain uniformity. He cited the Mali Shaafi Center, as saying,
HE EXPLAINED that the original signs, which are above the buildings in the Malls, are there on a non-conforming basis. This means that they are in violation, but since they were constructed before the building was passed, they are allowed to remain.
New signs, if they are to be uniform, must also be non-conforming, he said, so the city commission generally grants variances in such cases.
Emick said this type of consideration, takes care of a good percentage of the value added to their business.
During the calendar year 1971, the commission considered 17 variance applications. They approved 12 and denied five.
During the four months of 1972, nine variance applications have come before the commission. Seven have been approved, one denied and one deferred.
The purpose of the ordinance, according
to Emicr is two-fold: regulation of the size and number of signs and safety.
The other element involved, Emick said, is the danger inherent in roof signs, some of which, he said, have several thousand flashing lights. "It does create a hazard, if the wind
HE SAID that when the ordinance was passed in 1966, there was a country-wide movement, sponsored by Lady Bird Johnson, to eliminate cluttering signs and government had influenced the commissioners in their passage of the ordinance.
Etnick suggested that if it were not for the sign ordinance, businesses would have to pay royalties.
"Before long," he said, "you would have people fighting each other for a sign that they were going to be together."
THE ORDINANCE provides for a fine of not greater than $100 or 30 days in jail or both for conviction of violating its provisions. It also states that each day a court is committed or allowed to continue will be considered a separate offense.
Tuesday, May 2, 1972
Shoplifting Loss
$2,763 in 1971
See Page 5
Mrs. John Beuhler, Atchison junior, looks at one of the eight kites on display at the KU Museum of Art. The kites were designed by sculptor Tal Streeter, a KU director. Streeter's collection includes not only the traditional Japanese kites but also some he designed. The exhibit of kites will run in the museum until May 28.
Kensan Photo by RON SCHLOERR
Student Inspects High Flying Kite
Blacks,KU Bands Await Rulings
Senate Nears Completion Of Activity Fee Allocations
By CATHY SHERMAN Kansan Staff Writer
All but three allocations from the fiscal 1973 student activity fee budget have been approved by the Student Senate after it debated budget requests Monday night.
The Senate will not decide on its allocations to the Black Student Union and to Blacktect, the student organization for African American students meeting Wednesday when it will hear a report from a committee authorized to negotiate the budget requests of the two groups.
The third group still seeking an allocation is KU Bands, whose request of $2.962 was tabled until a representative can explain the request Wednesday.
The Oread Daily was allocated $2,430 by the Senate to continue publication of the paper next fall. The allocation is to cover printing and paper supplies costs and was approved with the stipulation that the newspaper be held accountable that could be held accountable for libel.
THE ALLOCATION was approved despite opposition by many Senators who questioned the integrity of the Oread Daily.
When the request for funding of the Oread Daily was first considered by the Senate, Gary Lasche, Overland Park University, said no funds be allocated to the Oread Daily.
Enemy Capture Quang Tri
"It has not been shown to me that the Oread Dawn was a 'responsible police officer.'"
David Awbrey, Lawrence graduate student, spoke against Lasche's motion and in defense of Senate funding of the Oread Daily.
"It would be a mistake to cut funding of the Oread Daily because it does have a different and legitimate point of view," Awbrey said.
He said the funding of the Oread Daily
SAIDON (AP)—The South Vietnamese abandoned Quang Tri on Monday, giving the Communists control of a broad strip of strategic territory just below the demilitarized zone and a springboard for attacks deep into the South—possibly against Hue.
major injury in the 32-day offensive, lands, South Vietnam forces drew back closer to the threatened provincial capital of Kontum City, abandoning fire base Lima six miles to the north on Highway 14. Two ranger batteries numbering up to 800 men left the base at dusk on foot and withdrew, while three others had been under heavy enemy pressure.
The Quang Tri loss was Hanoi's first major trump in the 33-day old offensive.
To the east along the central coastal plain, the Communist-led forces threatened to overturn the last remaining South Sudanese army in Dibu Province. About 400 rounds of shells hit Landing Zone English, a regimental command post four miles north of the fallen district town of Bong Son. The Saiwa command said casualties were moderate.
In the air war, the U.S. Command disclosed that a Navy F4A phantom fighter, equipped with four jet engines, the coastal city of Thanh Hoa, about 80 miles south of Hanoi. The two crewmen were reported missing. Disclosure of the crews was required to rescue operations were under way.
BONG SON and two other districts in northern Binh Dinh fell earlier to the enemy, giving the Communists control of a district of the 200,000 and an important rice crop.
U. S. officers in Da Nang said fuel and ammunition left behind at the Quang Tri naval base in Vietnam, which are destroyed by U.S. B2 strikes, "twenty-four artillery pieces in and around the city and communications equipment that was also destroyed, the officers said."
Allied officials think the Communist command seeks to take over the two northernmost provinces of South Vietnam and bring a new form of maintaining power at the peace talks in Paris.
Saigon began to feel the first twitches of war nerves in the offensive as some officials predicted possible rocket attacks on the capital itself.
Several thousand South Vietnamese troops were trying to battle their way south from Quang Tri, capital of the province of the same name, late Monday after efforts to defend the city were officially abandoned.
Quang Tri became the first South Vietnamese provincial capital to fall in the offensive that began March 30 with a North Vietnamese stab across the demilitarized zillion.
SIXTEEN AMERICAN advisers who remained behind with the South Vietnamese
were able to leave the city with their units, the officers at Da Nang said.
Eighty other Americans and 49 South Vietnam were extracted in a daring attack on the base.
The loss of its northernmost provincial capital was the most stunning backset yet for South Vietnam in the North Vietnamese offensive. The enemy now has seized control of all territory up to 27 miles south of the demilitarized zone.
was a touchy and controversial issue but, he said, "one of the reasons that a University exists is to raise controversial issues and viewpoints."
"WE'VE GOT a complete divergence of opinion on campus and we're allowing that by the funding of the Oread Daily," Awbrey said.
TO PROVIDE equal dissemination of opinion, Mackenzie said that the Senate should either fund all student newspapers or none of them.
Jan Kessinger, Junction City junior, protested that the Senate would have to give him a job and a number of student publications. He pointed out that to air all viewpoints it would be logical that the Senate should hold all those who no request funds to start a newspaper.
"We've got one newspaper and that's all we need to fund." he said.
In opposition to Kessinger's reasoning, Richard Mackenzie, Hutchinson first year law student, said, "All papers voice some sort of minority opinion not expressed in our curriculum." She cut funding of the Oread Daily because we don't agree with its political views."
It took the Senate two votes to determine its fiscal 1973 allocation to Catalyst, a program of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Catalyst had requested a budget of $20,050 from the Senate that contained $50 for office supplies and $20,000 for LA&S 48 instructor's salaries of $50 per semester. The Finance and Auditing Committee recommended that salaries be reduced to $300 per semester, a $50 increase over present salaries.
The salary reduction was attacked by Gus Di Zerega, Lawrence graduate student, who claimed a conflict of interest and threatened to retaliate for former position as a Catalyst instructor.
DI ZEREGA SAID the program had grown steadily during its five years of existence and that a recent study of the program to determine if it "is up to academic standards at KU" had proved its worth.
Di Zerega said the salary increase would put LA&S 48 instructors in the same bracket as Western Civilization, Examination and Political Science I instructors.
"This raise puts LA& teachers at parity with other TA (teaching assistant) salaries at the University of Kansas," Di Zerega said.
Opponents of the salary increase asked Bill O'Neill, Ballwin, Mo. junior and student body treasurer, where the $8,000 above the committee recommendation would be obtained if the salary increases were annovsed.
O'NEILL said the money could be taken from unused money allocated to student organizations as a "pad" or from funds cut from the recommended budgets
A roll call vote followed debate and the original request was defeated 27-25. A motion followed to raise salaries to $180,000 per week during giving Catalyst a budget of $16,000 for next year.
The Senate did not approve funding of the Yellow Brick School after several Senators questioned the value of the School's programs.
Jo Durant, Tulsa, Okla., graduate student, explained that the Yellow Brick School was established as an alternative to public schools and served 50 children 3-15 years old. She said that the school was not a new state, but that it was a legal institution.
She said that children of students comprised half of the school's enrollment.
MOLLY L.AFLIN, Lawrence senior, said that she had received several complaints from parents who said that the school was not properly educating the Senate not to approve the request.
Susie Cowden, Kansas City, Mo. junior, agreed with Lafflin and said that all the discussion she had heard concerning the School had been negative.
"I am in favor of the idea of an alternative school in theory," she said, "But I understand that this program is a total flop."
THE SENATE debated a conflict of interest issue concerning the new salaries of the Senate's staff. The senate executives could not be salaried by the Senate if they were on the University payroll, although individual cases may be considered. The Senate's Conflict of Interest Committee
The Yellow Brick School had requested $6,875 which the Finance and Auditing Committee had recommended be reduced to $4,330.
An operating budget of $67,810 for the Student Senate was approved by the Senate after it decided to provide salaries of $100 a month for three summer months and $250 a month for student members of the Senate Executive committee (SenEx) and the senator Executive SenEx.
The Senate restored cuts of $850 to Headquarters that were recommended by the Budget Committee.
Kansan Staff Writer
Bv RICHARD COOLEY
An effort is under way by the University of Kansas Student Senate to salvage the financially troubled campus bus system. A student opinion poll is scheduled for Wednesday to measure support for a student bus option. Students will be informed of the continuation of present bus services.
KU Senate to Debate Bus System Subsidy
At its Wednesday meeting, the Senate will also consider a proposal that would give the Senate Housing Committee authority to contract for and administer a campus bus system subject to approval by the Student Executive Committee (SExEt).
The idea of subsidizing the bus system out of student fees was one alternative proposed by a KU engineering finance class which recently completed a semester-long study of the transportation situation at KU.
IN A 140-PAGE report, the research committee suggested that a $2 per semester fee be charged to students, faculty and staff to finance the bus system. The fee would eliminate the fare system currently in effect and would make the bus system totally dependent on subsidies provided by the Student Senate.
THE STUDENT SENATE is currently
subsidizing the Lawrence Bus Company at
a rate of $8 an hour for 500 hours service a day. The 10-case fare that bus passengers pay goes to the Student Senate. Under the present arrangement, the bus system is costing the student senate about $400 a week.
Dale Laurance, Nysa, Ore., graduate student and chairman of the research project, emphasized that the student fee proposal was only one alternative and that the professor had not intended to formulate a comprehensive plan for a mass transit system.
"Our main purpose was to compile data on the present system and to make that data available to the Student Senate so that comprehensive long-range planning could be undertaken," Laurance said. "Our main conclusion was that if the University wants to provide a campus bus system, the cheapest way would be to use a subway." We want to provide enough of a subsidy to allow it to operate without losing money."
The present arrangement was agreed upon last December as a means of keeping the bus system in operation. The company had announced that it would discontinue service at the end of the fall semester due to insufficient revenue. The Student Senate will subsidize the company out of general funds in order to keep the system going.
Dan Lagle, president of the Lawrence Bus Company, said Monday that his company would be willing to continue the present arrangement if the Student Senate could raise the necessary subsidy, although the student service might have to be relegated.
"We hope that the present rate of $8 an hour can be continued." Ogle said, "but it depends on the cost of our insurance and labor. If our insurance and labor costs go up, then we will have to request a higher rate."
OGLE SAID that student business was the only thing keeping the system going at the present time, and that if the present subsidy could not be continued the company would simply have to discontinue service.
Gary Jacob, chairman of the Student Senate Transportation Commission, said Monday that the results of the poll would not be binding on the Senate.
The research committee's findings revealed that even those students who stand behind the door to a bus system were not presently using the system to its full potential. The committee found that only 26 per cent of the potential bus passengers actually use the buses now.
The committee recommended that funds be provided for advertising and for public awareness.