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What good does a sign do if it’s for a business that no longer exists? And what kind of signal does an ugly sign give to a passerby?

Grand Coulee Councilmember Tom Poplawski brought the topic of signs up at the May 21 council meeting.

“There are signs in this town that need some attention,” Poplawski said, “be it just the cleaning off of bugs where at night you just see nothing else but bugs, to old business signs, signs that don’t do anything for us.”

“I have fine memories of the Wildlife,” Councilmember Gary Carriere said, referring to the restaurant that used to be in the building where Pepper Jack’s Bar and Grille now is, and “The Wildlife” sign that still towers near the building on Midway Avenue.

“I feel we’ve made some progress with painting some buildings, so that has improved some things,” Poplawski said, “but we need to continue to keep pressure on, somehow, some way, so business owners are responsible for their properties to maintain them in a way that is acceptable for the good of the community.”

“We have in the ordinances … all kinds of standards,” Poplawski continued. “They have to be clean, a certain size; if they aren’t used or active they need to have been taken down within a certain amount of time. Things seem like everything is slipping a little bit. It’s cleanliness and concerns not just for our town, but a lot of things. So if we don’t keep these kinds of things in front and do due diligence to keep them in the limelight, it’s only going to get worse.”

The council discussed sending letters to business owners and having the code enforcer put more attention toward the issue.