Carroll County commissioners approved the final payment of $14,819 for the new 7,000 square-foot health department facility located adjacent to the Carroll County Office Complex in Huntingdon. The action came during the Monday, May 9 meeting.

Carroll County received a $300,000 CDBG grant and another $375,000 grant from the state to construct the facility. Crews began moving to the facility this week from the 48-year-old, 4,800 square-foot facility located on West Paris Street in Huntingdon. The former facility is for sale by the county.

McKenzie - McKenzie came a step closer to adopting a signs and billboards ordinance following the McKenzie Planning Commission's review of a sample, nine-page ordinance Tuesday, May 3, in regular monthly session. The meeting was led by Vice-chairman Larry Webb in the absence of Chairman Mark Warren.

Community planner Charlie Goforth reviewed the major points of the pending ordinance that would ban all billboards within the city limits. Also prohibited would be flashing signs or structures of any kind emitting intermittent illumination, including strobe lights in business windows.

The ordinance, once approved by the Planning Commission and City Council, would restrict the size and placement of signs in accordance with the district in which they are located.

Temporary signs would be prohibited in all areas except to advertise drives or events of civic, philanthropic, educational or religious organizations provided they are posted and removed by time-frames yet to be approved, typically 30 days prior and five days following the event.

Signs would be prohibited in the public right-of-way, which includes signs erected on utility poles for such events as yard sales. Signs posted in opposition to the law would be subject to removal by city officials at cost to the person posting the notice, if the ordinance is approved.

Goforth noted most communities choose not to restrict signage in residential neighborhoods exclusive of such variables as number, size and placement.

"You start infringing on freedom of speech," he said. "You don't want to get into content except that which is offensive."

In business districts, the commission would need to define maximum size, said Goforth. The sample ordinance cited the total area of all signs on a parcel should not exceed one square foot for each linear foot of lot adjoining a place, street, or permanent easement.

Only low profile signs could be placed within 20 feet of the front property line and in accordance with rear and side yard requirements. Low profile signs are those which do not exceed three and a half feet in height.

If the sample ordinance is adopted, signs would be limited to 15 feet in height with the exception of those attached to the face of the building, in which case the sign should not extend above the roof line. Permanent signs already in existence would be "grandfathered" as legal, non-conforming uses.

New signage would be allowed by permit only with the fee schedule as yet to be determined. The fee would be required in payment for inspection services.

A committee composed of commissioners Webb, Dean Robb, and Keith Priestley will convene Tuesday, May 17, at 4:30 for further review of the ordinance.

In other business, WHDM reporter John Kent, who of late has been confined to a wheel chair, noted several issues regarding handicapped access to various buildings, including the McKenzie Memorial Library. He noted the closest handicapped parking space to the library is behind the West and West law office or across the street at Williams Furniture. Places that do have handicapped access, such as the Pocket's convenience store, he said, often have continued access blocked by items such as ice machines.

Goforth advised, "The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) actually has provisions where anybody can report those people for enforcement."

"We'll look into it, John," said codes enforcement officer Ray Berryman. "If we can get it done we'll get it done."

In other business the commission heard Mayor Walter Winchester advise the city had signed off on a streets plan with the state in January. Community planner Jack Brown said the plan could be identified and adopted as the major road plan and recorded as such in order to bring into compliance that section of the subdivision regulations. The commission agreed to revisit the issue in their June meeting.

Gofoth advised the Land Use plan is the basis for zoning but that, in the absence of a comprehensive plan, plans of service for annexed areas were sufficient according to state requirements. However, he noted the 1991 plan was "way out of date" and that it needed review, especially along annexed areas. Commissioners anticipated looking at the issue again in July.

Regarding zoning issues, Berryman and Winchester mentioned review of highway zoning on Highway 22 to avoid a situation similar to Highway 79 where multiple driveways exist. Winchester noted, "Other areas require access roads."

In a final item, Goforth distributed information regarding audio training CDs. In particular, he highlighted topics he felt the commission might benefit from, including A History of City Planning, Managing Floodplain Development, Creating Successful Sign Ordinances, Creating Competitive Towns with BIDs, Embracing Change in Small Towns, and Encouraging Commercial Mixed Use in Rural Areas.