Monona council tables proposed Adams Outdoor billboard lease for Ahoska Park after public concerns

Monona — The Monona City Council voted to table consideration of a proposed lease with Adams Outdoor Advertising to install a digital billboard in Ahoska Park, following a presentation by Adams’ representative, questions from council members and staff, and public comment opposing the project.

The proposal would have placed a two-faced digital billboard on a monopole in Ahoska Park with an initial lease payment of $80,000 per year, a 3% annual escalator and a 10-year term with an option for a second 10-year extension, council members were told. Tom Hickey, Adams’ representative, said Adams would donate $20,000 toward landscaping around the sign, automatically post certain emergency notices, and provide the city with five weeks of advertising for city events each year.

The item matters because the sign would be sited inside a city park and the lease would commit public park space to a private advertising use. The planning commission and the parks and recreation board had recommended approval as part of the special-exception and lease review process; councilmembers said they were not ready to finalize a lease without additional materials and changes.

Hickey described technical limits and community benefits during his presentation. "The sign is limited to no more than 0.3 foot candles above existing ambient light," he said, and added that the sign would use automatic brightness adjustment (he cited a daytime maximum of 7,500 nits and a nighttime level of 300 nits). Hickey also noted Adams’ practice of working with local nonprofit campaigns and giving in-kind advertising support through an "Adams Collaborate" program.

Several council members and city staff raised concerns about outstanding details. City Attorney Bill Cole said the city had not yet received a current, survey-backed site plan showing the precise placement of the sign in the park and that staff could not recommend approving a lease without that documentation. Staff and councilmembers also discussed whether the city’s packet had included the final lease or resolution language; Cole confirmed that the item had been noticed on the agenda as required, but that the resolution had not been included in the public packet because staff did not consider it ready for public discussion.

A resident speaker, Bill Groff, urged the council to reject the billboard, arguing the city historically bans billboards and that a sign would remove park vegetation and harm scenic views. "Our billboard ban is a success story. It's 1 of the things that makes Monona special," Groff told the council, saying the proposed sign location should be viewed in the context of nearby wetlands, recreational areas and parkland rather…