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Tourism board seeks control of I‑70 billboard; council pauses lease renewal to hear presentations
Summary
Councilors removed a consent-item renewing a long-term billboard lease adjacent to I‑70 after the Tourism Advisory Council asked for time to present alternative uses. The current lease with Family Health West expires March 31; staff said any changes must respect CDOT permitting limits and that a public hearing is scheduled.
Councilors on March 4 removed ordinance 2020-57, a consent-item that would have renewed a long-term lease for a billboard adjacent to Interstate 70, after the Fruita Tourism Advisory Council asked for time to present ideas for using the billboard as a tourism promotion tool rather than for exclusive private advertising.
City Manager Shannon Boston told council the billboard is highly visible to east- and westbound interstate traffic and that the tourism council has long considered it an important tool for promoting Fruita. She said the city had budgeted for an electronic panel to occupy the lower portion of the structure in 2020, but the pandemic paused that work; city staff said the current permit and CDOT rules limit improvements (staff referenced a 49% rule regarding permitted improvements to the structure) and that any changes require coordination with CDOT.
Boston said the current lease with Family Health West expires March 31 and that the city would give both the tourism council and Family Health West an opportunity to present at a public hearing scheduled for March 18. Councilors asked staff to consider moving the matter to a workshop so members could ask questions and negotiate options in a less formal setting; staff indicated the tourism advisory council and Family Health West would both be invited to present and the council could continue the item if needed.
Nut graf: The billboard is both a modest revenue source and a public-facing asset; the tourism advisory council is asking the council to consider shared or city-directed use for visitor messaging, while Family Health West holds current lease rights and must be given a chance to respond.
Details: Staff said past improvements included replacing wood and adding lights; the city previously limited upgrades during the permit period and had planned a bottom-panel electronic sign to display event notices such as farmers markets and concerts. Any plan to allocate display time for city messaging or tourism promotion will require a public process and coordination with CDOT.
Ending: Council set the item for presentation on March 18 and directed staff to invite representatives from both the tourism advisory council and Family Health West; councilors also expressed a preference to discuss the topic in workshop if needed to allow more back-and-forth questioning.
