Digital billboard on the way in Flowery Branch

FLOWERY BRANCH - It looks like Flowery Branch is going to have its first digital electronic billboard sign.

Mayor Mike Miller Thursday night called for a roll call vote for first reading on an amendment to the city's sign ordinance.

The Mayor said that roll call vote is a forecast of the final vote on May 5th to make the change at the request of sign owner Sandy Jones for his sign on I-985 within the Flowery Branch city limits. There was one dissenting vote from Councilman Chris Fetterman, who said the issue was safety, the possibility the digital sign would distract motorists.

"I will be voting 'no' for this," Fetterman said. "Billboards have to distract drivers because that's what they're designed to do. They're not there for any other reason; digital billboards will be changing as people are driving."

City Planner James Riker said the zoning code change would not only affect billboards but it would modify monument sign displays. He told Council studies he reviewed were not conclusive on whether or not the digital messaging change was a definite hazard or had caused highway accidents.

Jones said he wants to convert his sign facing southbound on I-985 at Spout Springs Road from a mechanical message-changing billboard to an electronic digital changing message.

"If we can't get that done we'll just abort and not do anything out there," Jones said. "The economics just don't support a quarter of a million dollar investment in a sign that's just got to sit there and become a static billboard."

That would have suited sign opponent Wilton Rooks with Scenic Georgia who said a ten second digital message change was an inherent motorist distraction.

Also opposed was former councilman, now District (1) Hall County Commissioner Craig Lutz, who said he proposed the original ordinance as a council member that did not include digital signage. He urged Council to table the amendment and research its possible negative effects before taking a final vote.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/4/238142