Editor, Times-Union: If any of you have to start a new small business, like I did, you will find that it will be more difficult in the future. April 20, the city of Warsaw is going to vote on a new zoning ordinance. The city has stated that billboards are not a problem. They dislike many business and temporary signs. Even so, all signs after Monday may be reduced. The new ordinance says that in R-3, M-I, C-2 and C-4 zones that only one freestanding sign per property will be permitted. Size restrictions apply as well. Without going into detail, I want to say that this new ordinance is full of problems, it restricts your choice as a property owner, it stifles competition thus raising prices, and it even had one section in it that was clearly illegal. After my attorney pointed out the illegal section, the city verbally said they would remove it. Not only some of the local billboard companies but other business owners have brought up issues in this ordinance that members of the Area Planning Department were unaware of. The ordinance that the city purchased is a cookie cutter ordinance that doesn't address different local situations. It doesn't address spacing between signs, only that you can only have one sign per lot. What if you own a very large lot and want two business signs? A bank downtown just put in a changeable copy sign next to its drive-through. Under the new ordinance, this would be illegal. The banner advertising events over Center Street will become illegal. Many real estate signs that direct you to homes for sale will become illegal. Political signs that are not placed on commercial zones will be illegal.
When people ask me who my competitor is, I answer, "Our government." I can compete in the free enterprise system, but I have a harder time running a company and at night fighting somebody behind a desk, who has all day long to make up new restrictions. Billboard companies have been portrayed as the bad guys on this issue in order to get it passed. I am sad to see this. This ordinance will dictate to you how you can use or lease your property. If you call the City Planning Department you might be told that there are no significant changes in the new ordinance. That is what I was told, but not what I found when I researched this new ordinance. If you own property in Warsaw, you might want to read this ordinance before they pass it, or show up at 7 p.m. at the city building Monday at the meeting.
Daniel A. Walcott President, Eagle Outdoor Sign Co. Inc.
Warsaw
Overnight Intrusion
Editor, Times-Union: Friday morning, April 10, is a morning neither my wife nor myself will ever forget. At about 4:30 in the morning, I awoke to my wife frantically telling me someone was in our house. I turned around and at the foot of our bed, in the dark, was a figure of a man. My wife was screaming and I was yelling at the man asking him what he was doing in my house. He said that he got in the wrong house. I yelled for him to leave and he did. I told my wife to call 911. The deputy came out and picked up the man while he was walking down the road.
To make a long story short, it seems that another man told this man to come to his house and wake him up. He gave him directions to his house, which was supposedly out in our neighborhood. We found out later that day that the man did not live anywhere close to us. He had sent the man on a "wild goose chase." It was a very bad practical joke. This joke could have caused a 19-year-old man to lose his life because of the stupidity of another man.
Four deadbolt locks and an electronic security system later, my wife still has a very hard time sleeping. She wakes up quite often to check the door to our bedroom, where she first saw the man. We would like to tell both of these men something. God can forgive you and so can we, if you ask. One thing is for sure though, we will never forget this experience and we are truly thankful that no one was physically hurt.
Bill Stevens Jr. Warsaw
Animal Control
Editor, Times-Union: You know what I can't stand? I can't stand a big, strong, grown man that strikes, hits or treats cruelly an old person, a child or his dog. Why? Because the old person is too weak to defend, the child is too weak, unlearned and dependent on the one hitting him or her. Now I come to the latter, Fido or Kane you call him. He also is dependent on his master for food, water, shelter and love - yes and lots of it. It's quite apparent you did not have the latter, Mr. Burgess. I won't go into name calling. What kind of a person are you?
When you see or hear of something like this you want to go and rescue the dog named Kane. But when you got to the animal shelter you would find not one Kane but many, many, more dogs just as great as Kane. Kay Amsden at the animal shelter informs me by her records 620 dogs and cats have been taken in this year. 199 have been adopted, 421 have been put to sleep. God bless you, Ms. Amsden, I think you are doing your best with what the powers in the county will give. If anyone has any better ideas, I would like to hear them or even about other stories of dogs or cats. Just drop me a post card or letter at P.O. Box 25, Leesburg, IN 46538.
Then I turn to page 5A, or the opinion page and what do I find? Mr. Howard's dog, Bullet, struck by a car. Mr. Howard, I stood and watched four cars hit a big lab one night. The owner was inconsiderate and irresponsible and did not think. His dog lost his life. I'm very happy to see Bullet will make it. I, too, am glad the convertible was early.
