|
NOTE! This page is NOT written by Howie
Carr.. but by the webmaster. Howie is NOT responsible for any
part of this!
Once
upon a time there was a building called the Boston Garden. No
corporate naming rights, just teams that won games. Maybe a few
lumps in the floor our guys knew about, maybe a few bad seats.
It's gone and a new venue is
almost on the same spot. Fleet Center, TD Banknorth today...the
name you don't hear is the Delaware North Company, who seems to be the
actual owner of the building.
Next time you come over the
Zakim, take notice of the beer sign on
the right. Looks just like a advertisement for Budweiser doesn't
it? Not according to the Delaware North Company. Their
lawyers call it an "On Premise Sign". Why? Looks
like a Billboard.
They can't call it a billboard because the OAD, Outdoor Advertising Division of
Mass Highway has not granted a permit for a billboard at that location.
Sooo...if it's on premise sign
then they must have a sign permit from the City of Boston, right?
Well, maybe....not exactly. I've called city hall and after many,
many circles was finally told an inspector visited the site and deems
this an outdoor advertising sign and thus regulated by the state.
A billboard.
Now, Nothing against Budweiser,
it's very good beer. But how do folks put up a HUGE billboard seemingly
without any permits?
I want to know how, and if this
sign is illegal I ask that it be removed. Again, Bud's great beer,
but I've NEVER needed to be reminded when I needed one. Past that,
most signs need permits to be legal.
So, here's how the city works.
First you call the
Mayor's
24 Hour Constituent Service.
You might get Frank
McDonough like I did. Don't expect a call back. (617)
635-4000. You could try Sal Lamattina's office at 617-635-3200.
The sign is in Sal's district. I'm not Howie Carr so Sal didn't
call me back either.
You could go right to the top.
Send an email to Ramon Soto and ask for a meeting with 'da mayor.
Well, still waiting for
Ramon to
respond to the Nov 7, 2008 email I sent. It should be here any day
now. Yup, any day.
Next you could call Charlene in
'da mayor's office, or better yet call Cathy at 617-635-3151.
Cathy's very nice but just can't seem to get any traction. I'd
have to say she's the nicest person I spoke to at city hall.
The guy you DON'T want to call
is Michael Kenevey. Mike yelled quite a bit then hung up on me.
Well, you can call him if you like, maybe he won't hang up on you.
Cathy can patch you over from 617-635-3151. Mike is the Chief of
Staff. On second though, give Mike a call, he could use the phone
etiquette practice.
Finally, if you're from the
press, and I guess I "kinda" fit in here, you can call Dot Joyce at
617-635-4461. Dot's very nice. Jury's out on if she can do
anything.
If there is a permit for this
sign Ed Farley at Mass Highway doesn't seem to know about it, nor anyone
I've spoken to at Boston City Hall. If there is not a permit then
it's only a few BRA meetings, ZBA meetings, see it's not conforming.
Just too damn big and tall. Or maybe it's time to call it a billboard
and try your luck at the OAD again.
Oh, by the way, a permit for a
billboard can't be issued under current Mass law because of the short
distance to the Rose Kennedy Greenway. You can't put up a billboard
within 300 feet of a park.
(6)
No permit shall be granted for a sign within 300 feet of a public park,
playground, cemetery, forest, reservation and or any other scenic or
recreational area, regardless of ownership, which is available for
public use, or reserved for the public, ... authority or political
subdivision of the Commonwealth may be permitted if otherwise in
conformity with 711 CMR 3.07(4) and M.G.L. c. 93 and M.G.L. c. 93D
Stay tuned for new details, will Tom Menino
agree to meet with me? Will Michael Kenevey call me back to yell
some more?
**On November 20, 2008 a request was sent to
the City of Boston under the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)
requesting access to any any all permits issued for this property as
well as any other documents. The city has 10 days to respond.
OAD
Determination
OAD
Doc 1
OAD
Doc 2
Outdoor Advertising Board 711 CMR
|
