Not a peep from officials about latest LED sign

With no discussion, the Port Washington Plan Commission last week approved an  electronic changeable letter sign — aka LED sign — for St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

It was a significant change from the last time the commission considered an LED sign. In May, the commission turned down a request by St. John XXIII Parish for an LED sign at its St. Peter Church on Port’s north side and asked that the city consider adopting an ordinance regarding the use of these signs in the community.

Although the city has made little headway in creating such a law, the request came back to the commission in August and was approved.

Mike Jajtner, a member of St. Matthew church, told the commission that the congregation needs to replace its sign and wanted to use an LED sign so it can better notify people of public events such as blood drives and voting day — the church is a polling place for the City of Port.

It will be similar in size and function to the LED signs at the nearby Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School, he said, but will be dark from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“It’s not going to be Las Vegas on the strip between those times,” Jajtner said.

Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said he received two calls and an email from people opposed to the sign, which would be a maximum 10 square feet, be dimmable and cannot have images or text that rolls, scrolls, flashes or moves.

Two of the three people said they feared the sign would detract drivers in the primarily residential area at night while the third did not like the commercial nature of the signs, he said.

Ann Lorge, 1479 Garay La., told the commission she’s not necessarily opposed to the sign in her neighborhood, but she told the city it needs to decide how to regulate the LED signs.

“Get something on the books please,” she said.

The commission is expected to again consider an LED sign policy when it meets in November, Harris said.

Mayor Ted Neitzke noted that City Attorney Eric Eberhardt recommended that the commission approve the St. Matthew request since there is no law prohibiting the sign and other similar requests have also been approved.