Last week this news-canine caught wind of some citizen dissatisfaction targeting our local business community along Independence Avenue. We’re not talking about the normal things that Avenue businesses deal with on a day-to-day basis; this is something far more targeted and downright petty, if you ask this pooch.
You may recall a series of meetings at KCU over the last few years that sought public input on the Independence Avenue overlay plan. Out of those meetings came a new city ordinance that covered business signage along HNE’s busiest East-West thoroughfare. Included in this ordinance was a carve-out for “sandwich-board” style A-frame signs used by a number of businesses along the Avenue to hawk their product or service. At the last minute, however, that carve-out was stricken from the final wording of the ordinance. Nevertheless, the community was given assurances that it would be a low priority enforcement and the deal was sealed with a nudge and a wink.
Enter the secret sign police, complete with their clipboards and their pocket city codes book. These naddering nabobs of negativism are now patrolling Independence Avenue searching for any violation, regardless of how petty, to turn in to the city’s codes department. Businesses with A-frame sidewalk signs and the colorful sail type flags seem to be the ones drawing the greatest amount of ire of these pesky finger-waggers, given the relative ease they can be cited and fined for what this dog thinks is extremely nit-picky and minor.
Here’s a note to the neighborhood “code police” intent on making life more difficult for businesses that already have their hands full. Maybe if the haters put as much effort into shopping in the neighborhood and working in tandem with the Chamber and the CID, the community would be far better off.  Sadly, personalities, egos and social media posturing win out over common sense and community building, giving the entire area and initiative a black eye.