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Show The Vtah Enterprise Review , February 16, 1977 Page 18b t 'VShii' A.' f' ytfKVX v- is. "A? "dVs? A ..s'v, v:. w& " , Billboard Firms Brooding Over Sign Moratorium & SLjS. y by Mary McMillan Gaber Review Staff Writer A conflict between pro- tecting the citys quality of life and encouraging business growth has erupted in Salt Lake City, as Reagan Outdoor Advertising, Inc. protests the 90-da- y morator- ium on new billboard permits imposed by city commissioners Jan. 3, at the rec- ommendation Bill Reagan has been forced to shelve expansion plans . of palnning commission member I.J. Wagner. Bill Reagan of Reagan Outdoor Advertising says the moratorium alone is costing his company $11,000, and hes had to lay off tw o people and readjust his growth projections for the year. Also protesting the city action, but not as vehemently as Reagan, is Phillip Card of Card Sign Advertising. Card estimates his company will lose between $25,000 and $30,000 because of the moratorium. He too has laid off or transfered three people. Ilit Sales People Hardest According to Reagan, his layoffs affect mainly sales personnel newly-hire- d who were added because of the companys planned growth this year. Now, because of the moratorium, that plan must, at least, be deferred. In addition to shelving' growth plans for the time being, both men say they will suffer from the inability to You cant sell new signs. sell signs if you dont have a location, explains Card. Reagan adds, Its like the Review not being able to sell new subscriptions. Must Grow to Survive Because A DIFFERENT CONCEPT. most busi- nesses depend upon growth ability to compete and survive, all outdoor advertising companies are ultimately affected by the moratorium. At PDQ Quick Print, we dont print business cards, envelopes, labels or wedding invitations. We print the one thing you need 80 of the time: black ink on business sized paper. We do it with the newest, fully automatic press on the market. And because we dont have to subsidize marginal work with profitable jobs, we do it for lower prices than anyone else in town. And guarantee it! But Reagan and Card are affected even more because both are (were) newly geared for rapid growth. Reagan, for example, has seen a spectacular sales increase during the last year. Of a total of 50 building permits granted to billboard companies during 1976, 25 went to him. He attributes most of his growth to the advent of a new small size board he has been selling. Reagan is particularly frustrated because the new sign ordinance regulating billboard spacing, height and location was just printed and distributed to affected comThis panies last week. ordinance took two years to put together, and it just went into effect in September, 1975, Reagan complains. all "We worked hard to these develop regulations, and now they want to change them again. Can Do Better Now shoppe 36 West Second South (801)364-104- Salt Lake City, Utah 841 01 4 But Wagner, who also helped develop the present law, responds, "That ordinance was the best we could do at the time. After one year of experience, we think we can do better. Wagners main objections center on the present height limit and spacing allowances. He says the present height limitation is too high. And he points to numerous areas of the city unregulated by the ordinance. These areas in65-fo- ot clude mainly streets infre- Between 100 and 1000 copies per original, 8 2 x 1 1 , camera ready copy, black ink, white paper, one side, no solids, screens or half-tone-s. quently traveled, where billboard companies would be unlikely to build expensive signs. But they do include streets passing the x House and a few other historical monuments which, Wagner says, he Continued on page 19b Dev-ereau- - I |