All signs indicate that Gettysburg Borough Council will talk about signs for a while. Whether it is the sign ordinance or signs telling people where to park and for how long, the municipality’s leaders remain focused on the topic.
Sign Ordinance
Planning Director John Whitmore told the council during its workshop on Monday that he continues to work on a draft of a revised sign ordinance. Last year, the council was prepared to vote on changes proposed by Whitmore’s predecessor but halted discussion after public outcry.
On Monday, council debated the value of having more stringent sign regulations in the Historic District. Whitmore proposed limiting signs to 50 square feet in the historic district and 100 square feet in other areas.
When Councilperson Chad-Alan Carr questioned why the Historic District should have stricter rules, Council President Matt Moon did not mince words.
“We are not limiting them any more than they have been limited for the last 50 years. It looks to me that businesses are thriving here,” Moon said.
Carr said he understands that buildings in the Historic District should be held to different standards. However, he does not believe businesses in those buildings should be forced to have smaller signs.
“It’s 2024, we no longer have dirt roads and horse-drawn carriages only in this town,” Carr said.
Councilperson Peter Bales suggested that a sign’s maximum signage be dictated by the size of the building it occupies. Councilperson Chris Berger agreed with Whitmore’s proposal.
Whitmore said the borough’s Historical Architectural Review Board is concerned about increasing signage in the historic district. He noted that other historic districts, including nearby York and Frederick, Md., enforce strict regulations.
“It’s difficult. We are not in the business of regulating content, and content is what can really kill character,” Whitmore said. “It’s a tricky balancing act.”
Whitmore told the council he would provide renderings showing how different-sized signs look on building facades.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, hotelier Paul Witt told the council he strongly supports the sign ordinance and questioned why the current ordinance is not enforced.
“This is going to blow up, big time, for council. These people have illegal signs. Are you going to get rid of them? Are you going to let them go in?” Witt said.
Church Parking Signs
Various parking issues have plagued the council this year, but it seems to be approaching consensus on some of them.
For many years, churches were allowed to place bags on meters during services that indicate the spaces are only for people attending their services. The borough stopped the decades-old practice earlier this year, citing that parking enforcement should not be conducted by non-borough employees.
For months, church leaders have pleaded with council to reconsider. On Monday, Parking Manager Becka Fissel proposed signs on meters that state, “Church Parking Only, Sundays 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.”
Moon called the signs a compromise since the borough has no intention of allowing the churches to place meter bags. Moon said having borough staff place bags is not an option due to staffing challenges on Sunday mornings.
Christ Lutheran Pastor Steve Herr said the bags are the best option for the church but appreciated the borough’s willingness to reserve church spaces. Berger said he would like to seek input from Saint Francis Xavier Pastor Father Stephen Kelley before forming an opinion.
The council will discuss the issue further next month.
Bus Parking Only
In the past year, council has conducted two pilot programs to determine where buses should park in the borough. Both programs were deemed failures, but Fissel suggests re-examining the first one.
“I think it failed because some businesses wanted it to fail,” Fissel said.
She explained that businesses were not directing bus drivers to park in those spaces. During public comment, Shriver House Museum Owner Nancie Gudmestad said she communicates with tour operators, not individual bus drivers, so such direction is impossible.
That program directed buses to park in designated spaces throughout town. Bus drivers would be required to pay for the spaces for the time they use them.
In March, the council approved a three-month pilot program to allow restaurants with a seating capacity of 50 or greater to reserve several meters for up to 12 hours a day when they expect buses. Neither the council nor staff expressed interest in revisiting that program.
As with the other topics, council directed staff to return next month with more suggestions. Moon reiterated his stance that the council is trying too hard to please bus drivers.
“Most municipalities would never waste time trying to come up with this sort of accommodation,” Moon said.
Police Pay
No sign is worth the metal it is printed on if it is not enforced, and the borough police department plays a large role in enforcing Gettysburg’s rules. However, Chief Robert Glenny is struggling to hire part-time police officers.
Glenny told the council that Gettysburg pays part-time officers the lowest of any full-time, full-serve department in Adams County. Part-time officers receive $23.89 per hour, the chief said. Other municipality’s pay rates are: Carroll Valley, $36/hour; Littlestown, $3316 the first year and $34.78 the second year; Eastern Adams Regional Police Department, $29.06/hour; Cumberland Township, $25.70 plus shift differential; and Liberty Township, $26/hour.
Glenny asked the council to consider paying part-time officers the previous year’s starting wage for a full-time police officer. For this year, that would be $27.02 per hour.
Glenny estimates the increase would cost the borough $10,000 annually. However, it could save money if Glenny could assign hours to part-time officers instead of paying full-time officers overtime. He stressed the savings is a “big if” and would be based on officer availability.
The council will consider Glenny’s request next month, Moon said.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.