Fairmont delays decision on Lamar billboard lease after contested hearing

The Fairmont City Council on July 28 postponed action on an ordinance authorizing a lease of a city-owned parcel at or near Palatine Park to Lamar Advertising, after more than an hour of testimony for and against the proposal.

Jeff Kimble, an attorney representing Lamar, said the company seeks to replace several static signs with fewer structures that include digital faces and to donate unsold space to nonprofits. "So it's 14 boards, will be removed, and it will be replaced by, by 3 boards, 2 sided," Kimble said during his remarks. Reuben Blankenship, vice president and general manager for Lamar in Bridgeport, said the digital faces would automatically display emergency messages such as Amber Alerts via IPAWS and that "These digitals cost about $200 a month to run."

Opponents criticized the Palatine Park location and questioned legal and zoning compliance. Treasurer Barbara Twyckoff said the site is "both highly trafficked in terms of pedestrians as well as vehicles" and urged council not to "move forward with this," citing light pollution and the park's character. Shay Strait, who said he had previously raised code concerns, argued the variances Lamar seeks are prohibited under city zoning and cited specific code language in opposition.

Council voted to continue the public hearing to Sept. 22 at 7:00 PM to allow the Board of Zoning Appeals to make a related determination; the roll-call result recorded in the transcript shows eight votes in favor of postponement and one opposed (Council member Weber). The mayor said the hearing will reconvene at the Sept. 22 meeting.

The ordinance title read into the record described the parcel by tax map and deed-book references and stated that any lease would be conditioned on completion of required variances and other approvals.