Nov 19, 2007
BUSINESS:
Local or locally, shop signs are up in Ridgefield
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Listen, my children, and you shall hear
of a sign whose message is strong and clear;
though if you listen close you’ll see,
whether ’tis better to shop local or locally.
All apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but a Planning and Zoning Commission hearing last week sounded more like a literary society at times than it did a land use meeting.
The hearing was on a request for special permits to allow signs urging residents to “Shop Local.”
“It’s a fine idea. It’s a commendable idea,” said commission Vice Chairman John Katz. “My problem with it is that these signs are grossly incorrect in their English grammar. We spend thousands in this town on education and I’ll not vote for something that isn’t correct and sends a message to our children that it is permissible not to learn proper grammar.”
The Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Ridgefield requested the signs at the public hearing Nov. 7. However, several members of the commission had earlier aired problems with the language on the banners when the permit application first appeared in October.
The merchants’ groups plan to hang the sings in three locations around town, with all three extolling the virtues of keeping residents’ money in Ridgefield by doing their holiday shopping locally.
Linguistic calisthenics
“We didn’t just come up with this,” Chamber of Commerce President Penny Hoffman said. “It’s a national campaign. Plus it’s a slogan, that’s all it is. I think people realize it’s just a slogan and take it for that.”
Suzanne Brennan of Shoe La La and Downtown Ridgefield was just as assertive in her support for “Shop Local.” Ms. Brennan said the whole point of the signs was to “promote our local businesses. We want to get that message out.”
Just as important, Ms. Brennan and Ms. Hoffman said, was the timing. Ms. Hoffman said the signs had to go up by today to give the merchants a full six weeks of pushing local holiday shopping. She also said printing of the signs was complete
“I’m not opposed to need for correct grammar, but we need to get these signs up,” she said. “Is there a way we could put up the signs as they are now and change them later?”
Her appeal, at first, did little to mollify a growing chorus of grammatical correctness. Lillian Willis, Dr. Nelson Gelfman and Michael Autuori joined Mr. Katz in their distaste for “Shop Local.” Ms. Willis said bluntly, “It’s wrong and I don’t think we should support it.”
Mr. Autuori, a biology professor at the University of Bridgeport, took his opposition a step farther, saying the “repetition” of three signs with bad grammar worried him.
“I’m concerned the sign itself will be a little sleazy,” he said. “I think we should only allow it for a brief time. It should be experimental.”
Conditional-ly tense
Other commission members shared Mr. Autuori’s time-related concerns. The special permit would allow the Chamber of Commerce and the merchants to post their banners twice a year: during the holiday season, Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, and from June 15 to July 31 during the summer shopping season. The merchants have three locations for their first posting and two for the summer.
The chamber plans to hang the signs at Ancona’s Market, in front of Pamby Motors and on the fence screening the construction at the former Bissell’s building on Main Street. While all three signs have the slogan “Shop Local,” each has a different reason for doing so.
Mr. Autuori wanted the signs to go up only once in a year’s time, and have the merchants return so the commission could gauge any opposition next November. Commission Chairwoman Rebecca Muchetti, however, squelched that idea.
“If they don’t violate the conditions, I don’t see how we can grant a permit then take it back,” she said.
Town Planner Betty Brosius said the merchants need a special permit because their banners, at three feet by eight feet, do not conform to town sign regulations. The merchants also plan to put the signs up on property they don’t own, albeit with the owners’ permission.
Still, it wasn’t the timing or the size that struck a raw nerve, it was the language. Commission member Patrick Walsh and Mr. Katz engaged in a spirited discussion of whether the zoning panel could regulate grammar. “Is there anything in our regulations that allows us to regulate grammar?” Mr. Walsh said.
“No,” said Ms. Brosius, a finding Mr. Katz quickly challenged.
“Just as art is amorphous, so is the concept of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public,” he said. “I believe exposing people to the horrific grammar of these signs is in direct opposition to protecting the public’s welfare.”
Ms. Muchetti and commission member James McChesney put an to the debate when, clearly exasperated with the grammatical griping, Ms. Muchetti asked, “When did this become so complicated? We all agree this is a good thing to do.”
Mr. McChesney then ended the debate with a motion. “I say we do it and stop all the nonsense. Let’s just vote on it.”
The commission approved 6-2, with Mr. Katz and Dr. Gelfman dissenting. The commission added conditions to its approval that would waive permit renewal fees yet bring the merchants back next if they decide to use the signs again.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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