Perry officials take issue with landmark hotel’s street sign

jclark@sunmulti.com

The City of Perry has gone after the sign of a local

landmark saying it is against the city’s code.

Officials said the New Perry Hotel’s sign has several

issues: the sign is larger than allowed; it is physically located in the city’s

right of way; and there is now a sign located under the hotel’s sign that

depicts the location of Warner Robins Supply.

The new addition to the sign was added a few days before the

Dogwood Festival after Warner Robins Supply employees refurbished the sign.

The company offered to refurbish the sign for the festival

if it could place a directional sign on it as well to let people know where the

store is located.

“We had no idea it was on public land,” stated Jim Taylor of

Warner Robins Supply during the pre-council meeting Tuesday.

Taylor went on to explain to the council that people in the

community do not know where the store is located and some even think the store

is closed due to the “barricades” that were placed in front of the store during

the Ball Street extension construction.

He said the sign was an effort to “offset loss of business”

during the construction.

“If we approve, then people can put (off property signs) all

over town,” retorted Councilman Randall Walker.

Mayor Jimmy Faircloth stated the council needs “to do what

we can do to support our retail businesses.”

Taylor said he was unaware of the ordinance because the sign

was not on his property, to which Walker replied, “You had an awareness, let’s

put it at that,” after referencing a conversation about the city’s sign

ordinance that he said happened months prior to Tuesday’s meeting.

The council concurred that Warner Robins Supply would have

to go through the process of receiving a variance through Planning and Zoning.

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