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Sidewalk signs in downtown Ridgewood stir debate
Sidewalk signs in downtown Ridgewood stir debate
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Randi Morein, owner of the Oak Street boutique Savvy Chic, spent around $200 for a sidewalk sandwich sign with an arrow that she could use to direct passersby to her store’s entrance. However, that sign has ended up costing her about $1,200 more.
Morein has received about 10 tickets from Ridgewood’s Department of Public Works in the past year in amounts ranging from $50 to $400. Each ticket related to Morein’s lack of compliance with the village’s sign ordinance.
The first ticket came after she placed the sign on the sidewalk. She was fined for obstructing the right of way. She moved the sign closer to the curb, and later placed it directly onto the tree well that she maintains outside her store, and received more tickets.
The most recent ticket, which had Morein report to court last month, stated that she did not have a permit for the sign. However, when she said she would pay for one, she was told that no such permit exists. Because of a postponement, she will return to court on Sept. 13. Although resolution prospects seem dim to her, she would like her now-confiscated sign to be returned.
Summonses generate revenue for the Village, plain and simple.