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Independence, MO —
Don Potts has seen the signs – dozens of them, in fact.
Potts is one of a handful of community volunteers active in removing illegally placed signs in the right of way – in Independence, they’re required to be at least 11 feet from the road. A City Code change last fall allows the city to penalize the company or persons listed on the sign, even if they aren’t “caught in the act” of placing the sign.
Potts mostly removes the signs “when I have an extra minute going someplace,” he said. “Sometimes, I’ll make a note of it and do it on the way back or something like that.”
In the late 1970s, around Barbara Potts’ first term on the Independence City Council, the couple took a vacation to Vermont and were surprised to see not a single sign or billboard on their visit.
More than 30 years later, signs in the city right of way are still an issue across the metropolitan area. On Tuesday, Kansas City crews did a sweep for illegal signs on utility poles and in the public rights-of-way.
Don’s interest and passion in sign removal actually started with another important cause to him: the elimination of secondhand smoke situations in Independence. He wants one point made clear, though: Both causes aren’t about him; they are communitywide issues.
How long have you been involved in the sign removal?
Actually, five years. It started when we had the smoke-free workplace ordinance and the “opposition” was putting a whole lot of signs right out next to the street. ... So, that’s what started it, and then I realized, there are a lot of signs all over the place that really are a matter of eye pollution, as far as I’m concerned.
You’re pushing for more education overall on the issue, in making people more aware of what the rules are, correct?
Exactly, just to try to cut down on our work, if you will. Since most of the people don’t know about it, I think educating the public would be the easiest way to cut down the amount of work. That would just make everybody’s life a little bit easier, I think.
What do you think is the solution: doing away with the signs altogether and moving to a different form of advertising or just moving them back?
Again, it’s a little bit like having the no-smoking areas in a restaurant. It’s better to have them moved back, but ideally, I think we’d do away with the signs altogether. But, with the lost-and-found animal signs, I think they should be able to do whatever they want. I don’t ever disturb those. Garage sales are not usually a problem. One exception to that, though, is that I took down a 3-by-4 garage sale sign that was on a utility pole.
Don Potts has seen the signs – dozens of them, in fact.
Potts is one of a handful of community volunteers active in removing illegally placed signs in the right of way – in Independence, they’re required to be at least 11 feet from the road. A City Code change last fall allows the city to penalize the company or persons listed on the sign, even if they aren’t “caught in the act” of placing the sign.
Potts mostly removes the signs “when I have an extra minute going someplace,” he said. “Sometimes, I’ll make a note of it and do it on the way back or something like that.”
In the late 1970s, around Barbara Potts’ first term on the Independence City Council, the couple took a vacation to Vermont and were surprised to see not a single sign or billboard on their visit.
More than 30 years later, signs in the city right of way are still an issue across the metropolitan area. On Tuesday, Kansas City crews did a sweep for illegal signs on utility poles and in the public rights-of-way.
Don’s interest and passion in sign removal actually started with another important cause to him: the elimination of secondhand smoke situations in Independence. He wants one point made clear, though: Both causes aren’t about him; they are communitywide issues.
How long have you been involved in the sign removal?
Actually, five years. It started when we had the smoke-free workplace ordinance and the “opposition” was putting a whole lot of signs right out next to the street. ... So, that’s what started it, and then I realized, there are a lot of signs all over the place that really are a matter of eye pollution, as far as I’m concerned.
You’re pushing for more education overall on the issue, in making people more aware of what the rules are, correct?
Exactly, just to try to cut down on our work, if you will. Since most of the people don’t know about it, I think educating the public would be the easiest way to cut down the amount of work. That would just make everybody’s life a little bit easier, I think.
What do you think is the solution: doing away with the signs altogether and moving to a different form of advertising or just moving them back?
Again, it’s a little bit like having the no-smoking areas in a restaurant. It’s better to have them moved back, but ideally, I think we’d do away with the signs altogether. But, with the lost-and-found animal signs, I think they should be able to do whatever they want. I don’t ever disturb those. Garage sales are not usually a problem. One exception to that, though, is that I took down a 3-by-4 garage sale sign that was on a utility pole.
You’re also continuing to do volunteer work related to tobacco cessation? (Potts is a retired physician and serves on the city’s Advisory Board of Health, among other health industry-related appointments.)
Yeah, that’s probably where I am devoting most of my time, trying to educate people about the dangers of secondhand smoke and working with other communities to get them to go smoke-free. The biggest holdouts right now are Riverside, Sugar Creek and Raytown.
What else keeps you passionate about the sign-removal issue?
I’m really excited about it – I knew there were a couple of other people who were doing this, but I didn’t know how many other besides myself. Barb got into politics because she was proud of the city and wanted to do whatever she could for it. So, I think some of that rubbed off on me. The signs just take away from the natural beauty that is around the city. When I talk to people and tell them they’re going to need to move the sign, I tell them it’s a matter of aesthetics, safety and visibility.
