Dillsboro billboard expected to be removed by Feb. 4

By Lisa Majors-Duff

County attorney Raymond Large reported last week that he'd had a telephone conversation with Derek Collier, a representative of the sign's owner, Lamar Outdoor Advertising in Arden, during which the two discussed plans for the removal as ordered by the N.C. Court of Appeals in October.

"I'm pleased (Lamar) is going to cooperate and that apparently no further court action will be required," Large said. "The sign should be removed by Feb. 4."

"We intend to comply with the court order," Collier told The Herald Jan. 9. "We don't have any specific time frame (for removal) in mind. It will happen when we can get everything lined up."

The steel, monopole structure with 576 square feet of advertising space on four faces at some 50 feet in height was erected just south of Dillsboro on U.S. 441 in August 1999 by another outdoor sign compnay, PNE AOA Media, without a Department of Transportation permit. Its construction angered town residents and business owners, who requested commissioners enact measures to prevent similar billboards from appearing along the county's thoroughfares.

As a result of those requests, commissioners approved a 60-day moratorium on billboard construction and asked their planning board to draft a regulatory ordinance to address such issues as sign height, location and size.

The ordinance adopted December 1999 calls for, among other regulations, no more than 300 square feet of advertising space on signs that may not exceed 40 feet in height adjacent to four-lane roads and a maximum of 150 square feet of space no more than 20 feet high for signs on two-lane roads. Signs must be at least 500 feet apart and may not be directly lit.

PNE AOA officials initiated legal action against Jackson County after they were unsuccessful in obtaining a sign permit from DOT, which denied their request based on the county's moratorium.

Superior Court Judge Marlene Hyatt ruled against the sign company in June 2000 and ordered the structure removed. PNE AOA appealed that decision to the state Court of Appeals, which returned a decision favorable to the county in October 2001.

Between decisions, PNE AOA sold the Dillsboro sign, along with several other billboards in the region, to Lamar Outdoor Advertising in January 2001. Collier had no comment as to whether his company plans to replace the sign with a structure that conforms to county guidelines.

"At this point, we're just interested in complying with the judge's order," he said.

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