LEAVENWORTH — Asking businesses to take down non-Bavarian signs has become a routine exercise for the city of Leavenworth.

STORY TOOLS

 ENLARGE

Officials with the Leavenworth post office say they don't have to abide by the city's sign ordinance. (World photo/Don Seabrook)

But the city recently ran into a sign that it couldn't move.

The city and the Leavenworth post office had a dispute earlier this month about a promotional sign outside the building. A city ordinance requires all signs must be Bavarian-themed.

Post office representatives said the building is exempt because it is run by a federal agency.

The post office later took the sign down because the promotion ended, not because of the city's request. It was an orange, plastic banner in front of the building that read: "Save on shipping."

"It could create problems because it's difficult for people to want to comply when your neighbor doesn't have to comply," said Connie Krueger, community development director for Leavenworth.

The sign was up for about 45 days and it was taken down at the beginning of June.

Krueger said in other cities there are so many signs that it can take away from the uniqueness of the area. Allowing businesses to keep flashy signs may provoke others to post more up, she said.

"Eventually you just get so many signs that you can't see what you're looking for," Krueger said.

Jose Velazquez, officer in charge at the post office, said he was told by the city that the sign was "not Bavarian enough." He said he was unclear about the exemption for federal agencies so he called the U.S. Postal Service's legal department in Denver.

"Our legal department informed me that our sign was staying up," he said.

Velazquez said he spoke with the lawyer for the federal agency to find out if the post office was exempt from the ordinance. He said after discussions between an attorney for Leavenworth and the federal agency's attorney, they found that the post office was allowed to keep the sign up, Velazquez said.

He said the sign was small and unobtrusive and that he has noticed other signs, including some for alcohol and real estate, that go against the Bavarian theme.

The ordinance can be tough to abide by because all signs need to be approved by the city, Velazquez said. It can be tough for big businesses to create specially made signs, he said.

"By the time you start a promotion or end a promotion, in a big corporation you're never going to have time to put anything up," he said. "So I don't know what their problem was."

Steve Harmon, 34, who has lived in Leavenworth for 26 years, said he liked the idea of some buildings being allowed to put up signs for sales and promotions. He said businesses on Commercial Street should have to stick with the Bavarian signs because it is the core of the city.

"I think it's a good thing," he said. "You have to advertise. You have to let people know of promotions."

Paul More, 36, from Seattle, was visiting Leavenworth over the weekend. He said the theme made the city unique and it should work to preserve it.

He said he noticed that large chain stores obey the ordinance and the post office should set an example that it is there for the community.

If the post office decides to put up another non-Bavarian sign, the city should work to prevent it, he said.

"They should do what they did this time," More said.

"I think it's a good plan: Gently ask them to take it down."

Alejandro Gonzalez: 670-5138

gonzalez@wenworld.com