COMMUNITY GUIDE
macon.com

NEWS

Local/State News

The AP Wire

Editorials

Sports

Business

Features

Obituaries

Straight Talk

Just Go!

RealBooks

Comics

Crosswords

KRT Interactive

Weather

Next Level

Newspaper In Education

CLASSIFIEDS

Real Estate

Employment

Announcements

Services

Merchandise

Automobiles

Legal Ads

SERVICES

Yellow Pages

The Daily Ads

CarHunter

JobHunter

Apartment Hunter

Datemaker

Straight Talk Forums

RealBeanies

Headbone Zone

NewsHound

RESOURCES

NewsLibrary Archives

Internet Access

Contact Us

About Us

Georgia's scenic highways will be littered with the "visual pollution" of billboards now that a national group has abandoned a project to protect them, a beautification leader says.

Jaydee Ager, vice president of the Garden Club of Georgia Inc., said Wednesday there was a "crying need" for the national group, Scenic America, to participate in a state effort to identify and protect Georgia's scenic highways from billboards.

Scenic America, which spent three years working with the state Department of Transportation, recently announced it was pulling out of the project because of concern that the state is being unduly influenced by billboard companies.

"The Georgia DOT has put the billboard industry's interests above those of local communities and the traveling public," said Frank Vespe, vice president for Scenic America. "Much of what is scenic about Georgia highways are the traditional downtowns. But the DOT policy says, 'Tough, you have to allow billboards.' It's not a model program, but a model of how not to do it."

Congress set up the National Scenic Byways program in 1991 to protect and beautify roadways notable for scenic, cultural, natural, archaeological, historic or recreational quality. Scenic America, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., has been working with several states, including Georgia, to implement and monitor the program.

Sam Wellborn, chairman of the state DOT board, said he had a hazy recollection of the issues involved but was "under the impression that everyone was happy."

"I do recall that it was a pretty dadgum unanimous feeling by the board, (what) we adopted," he said.

The DOT board approved the policy change in January, but Scenic America waited eight months to protest while it worked to change the board's mind, said Susan Kidd, director of the Georgia Scenic Byways Project, the joint agency set up to monitor the program.

"I think Scenic America hoped that DOT would rise to the occasion. They >=did not, which is most unfortunate. There's a crying need for (the program) in this state," Ager said. "Billboards aren't historic, scenic or significant. They're visual pollution."

Frank Pinkston, a state DOT board member from Macon, said he was surprised to learn of the controversy because, like Wellborn, he thought the issue had been resolved.

"I don't remember the details and technicalities," Pinkston said Wednesday. "I thought we had sort of settled the matter, and everybody was fairly pleased with the outcome. I don't think (Scenic America) has been treated unjustly."

Pinkston said he didn't know if the board was more sympathetic to billboard companies or not. He said the board merely follows federal rules.

Those rules state that existing billboards may remain on designated byways but that new billboards are prohibited. The rule change backed by the billboard lobby appears to require communities to make exceptions in any area where there is commercial or industrial activity nearby.

That exception essentially renders the program useless, said Ager, a resident of Kathleen.

DOT spokesman Chris Myers said Wednesday that the only officials who could comment were in Canada and would not return until today. He said the DOT had no official comment on Scenic America's decision.

Vernon Lee, executive director of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia, said the rules don't mandate that communities allow billboards in areas where there are already businesses, but gives them an option.

"We support scenic byways. We don't want to put billboards where you're in a scenic, rural, rustic area," Lee said. "Scenic America doesn't want our industry anywhere in America."

The state is moving to implement the program despite the departure of Scenic America, officials said.

The Garden Club of Georgia Inc. filed suit in 1995 to stop the DOT from allowing billboard companies to cut trees near their signs along public highways. A Fulton County Superior Court judge ruled against the garden club, but the Georgia Supreme Court reversed the ruling on appeal. The Legislature since has passed laws allowing the tree cutting, but requiring billboard companies to pay the state the retail value of the trees that would be cut.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BACK TO TOP | BACK TO MTO FRONT PAGE

---

All content© Copyright 1998

The Macon Telegraph and may not be republished without permission. Contact Us.