5. EDSR 09-11-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

"(Elk River) is kind of a troubled area," she said. "It's a good area to live in; it's a nice town; there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that there's too much at the moment. I think everybody got all excited about Elk River because they're going to get. one of the Northstar Rail stations." MnDOT warns of illegal signs The Minnesota Department of Transportation, in anticipation of the spring Parade of Homes home tour, is warning homebuilders that it's cracking down on illegal open house and "event" signs along state highways. The Builders Association of the Twin Cities, in a Feb. 14 a-mail, warned its members that MnDOT and some cities are "increasingly concerned" that builders are posting signs in violation of state law and local ordinances. In a recent letter to the builders group, MnDOT stated that it has received "numerous complaints" about Realtor and builder signs cluttering state property. The transportation department warned that it plans to have extra personnel removing illegal signs during the Parade of Homes spring preview, which began Feb. 12 and runs through March 20. Removed signs will be destroyed. The MnDOT letter added that "builders and Realtors hire contractors to place their signs after normal working hours on Friday and remove them before Monday morning. They are flagrant and arrogant about breaking the law." MnDOT spokesman Kent Barnard said it's illegal for any business or individual to place signs in state highway right-of-ways. "There is no wiggle room," Barnard said. "It's a law. There are penalties in the law if it's broken. If I were them, I'd get those signs out myself, because I wouldn't want to be fined by the state." Violations are punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $700 fine, according to MnDOT. The signs create hazards for motorists, MnDOT noted, because they restrict visibility and distract drivers. MnDOT defines highway right-of-ways as driving lanes, shoulders, ditches, clear zones and sight corners at intersections. "It's illegal to put a sign within the highway right-of-way, which includes about 100 feet from the center line of the highway," said Craig Wilkins, a MnDOT spokesman. "It's really distracting to drivers, and it's ugly. It's more of a traffic hazard than people might imagine." Wendy Danks, BATC's marketing director, said directional signs are important tools for builders. "There are always some builders who are going to push it a little, because there's not a good place to put their signs," she said. But she stressed that BATC urges its members to find out what's allowed and what's not allowed before putting up any signs. "We're clear that you're supposed to follow the law," she said. "I view it as a reminder. We are proactively trying to get our builders to follow the rules." Health House training scheduled The American Lung Association of Minnesota is accepting registrations for its Health House builder training program.