OrilliaMatters received the following letter to the editor from Michael Fredson, chair of the Downtown Orillia Management Board (DOMB) in response to our story Downtown sign rules 'ridiculous,' says cannabis shop GM.
I’m disappointed in how the issue in the recent article regarding downtown signage was presented. I’d like to clear up a few of the mistakes and misunderstandings surrounding it.
First, the main thing that is constantly misunderstood about the DOMB (as it is commonly known) is that we are a marketing board; we are a BIA (Business Improvement Area) board. We are not a legislative body, nor do we have any form of enforcement. We exist to provide marketing opportunities and assist in the maintenance and beautification of our downtown.
Although we do our best to advocate about issues for downtown businesses, we can not make or change any rules or bylaws that are generated by the city. Just like the bylaw office, we follow the rules that are set out for us, not by us.
The second thing is regarding the comments attributed to me in the article about downtown signage. It is not made very clear, but what your reporter and I were talking about were the LED flashing signs in many windows. Not the sandwich boards, or the wall signs, or the signs that stick out from above businesses. There are many rules regarding them and the aesthetic appeal of those rules change with the times.
I was specifically speaking to the idea of having LED signs flashing in all the windows. That was the “look” I was referring to. I do believe that if every store had multiple flashing signs in our downtown, it would ruin the feel of our downtown.
The downtown office does tend to be the first point of contact for a lot of issues downtown, and the office works at helping businesses navigate the rules and regulations of being in the BIA. Again, we have no enforcement and do not take actions regarding infringements. We try to work with bylaw to allow businesses to reach compliance before a fine happens.
Really, the important point I’d like to stress is that changing bylaws is not within the ability of the DOMB. It is, as most things in the city, a matter for council. Talk to your councillors and address the issue with them. Talk to us in the BIA about it and we’ll inform them what the membership is telling us, but we have no legislative authority to enact changes in the existing laws.
It’s always a frustrating situation when a business comes to the downtown and has a hard time, but I’m hoping that by clearing up how these processes actually work, we can reach a better understanding of situations like this.
Michael Fredson
Chair, DOMB
