News
Shrewsbury OKs Realtor 'Open House' Signs
By Sherry Conohan
SHREWSBURY - After months of deliberation, the Borough Council finally passed an ordinance Monday, Aug. 3, allowing real estate open house signs and fixing the size and times for their use.
The ordinance places no limit on the number of directional signs to guide prospective buyers to open houses, but specifies that they may only be displayed on Sundays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. The open house signs are to be removed immediately upon the end of the event or 5 p.m., which ever is earlier.
The ordinance provides that such signs must be placed in the public right of way only and shall not block any sight triangles. The signs cannot be larger than four square feet for one-sided signs or eight square feet for double-sided signs. The top of each sign can't be higher than 30 inches above the ground.
No balloons and streamers may be attached to the signs.
The ordinance sunsets - or expires - on Jan. 1, 2010.
The ordinance was proposed in response to the request of real estate agents who were frustrated that no directional signs have been allowed in the past.
Glenn Mills, president of the Monmouth County Association of Realtors, Inc., said after the unanimous vote for the ordinance that his organization was pleased with the result.
"They did a great job," he said. "We appreciate it."
Mills said his association would get the word out to its members about the specifics and limitations of the new law.
Mayor Terel Cooperhouse said before the vote that the Planning Board had come back for a second time with a request for changes in the proposed ordinance. He said the ordinance had been sent to the Planning Board for review and comment earlier and the council had incorporated its recommendations from that review into the final ordinance and he saw no reason for delay now. He said the Planning Board's second set of recommendations could be considered in January when the ordinance expires and comes up for review.
"I would hate to push this back another 30 days," he said in urging a council vote that night. Borough Attorney Martin Barger said it would be more than that - the end of September at least. The council concurred and voted to pass it.
In other action, the Council voted to approve the expenditure of $45,000 for the purchase of a Ford Expedition for the Police Department after a spirited discussion of whether the vehicle should have tinted windows.
The discussion was occasioned by a question by Carol Clark, of Garden Road, who asked the council why it was getting the vehicle with tinted windows. She said in a small town like Shrewsbury tinted windows were inappropriate.
Clark further asked why the borough was buying the Expedition to replace the Police Department's Dodge Durango, which was still usable.
Borough Administrator Thomas X. Seaman told her the Expedition was not a replacement for the Durango - that the Durango would remain in use.
Seaman said the Durango would continue to be the sergeants' vehicle, while the Expedition may become the captain's vehicle or become part of the fleet.
Seaman later explained that both the Expedition and the Durango were SUVs but the Expedition was bigger and could better pull the police department's trailers, such as one with traffic signals for use when street signals go out.
Both vehicles have four-wheel drive, he said.
Cooperhouse, the mayor, told Clark the tinted windows keep the police vehicle and computer inside cool. Councilman Thomas Manapace, the head of the Police Committee, said the tinted windows also keep people on the outside from seeing the screen of the computer that the police don't want them to see.
But Clark said police departments in nearby communities don't have tinted windows in their vehicles and it was her observation that the police cars in Philadelphia and New York don't have tinted windows. She said a lot of people feel the Police department doesn't' relate to residents of the town.
Cooperhouse said the police chief gives what he wants to the police committee and they provide the specifications for going out to bid on cars.
Menapace said the chief (John Wilson) had told him he was not a fan of darkened windows. It was agreed that they could change that in the contract if desired and a vote was taken to approve the purchase of the Expedition.
Seaman later checked on the contract and found that the tinted windows had been taken out of the specifications for the Expedition. It will not have them.
