(This post will be updated as more media file their stories and photos become available)

Last night was an amazing experience:

First of all seeing all these communities in Haverford Township and Lower Merion Township as one large force of humanity was very cool. Many thanks to all the folks in Lower Merion from Bala through to Villanova who cared enough about this to show up and attend this meeting.

Second: Seeing what looked like almost ALL of the Board of Commissioners of Haverford Township sitting in the audience, along with Scott Zelov from Lower Merion, and Al Boris of the Haverford Civic Association, Hank Wilson of Bryn Mawr Civic Association, representation from the Bryn Mawr Business Association, the Federation of Civics in Lower Merion, the anti-billboard coalition SCRUB, and the many other community groups and associations I may have overlooked in error.

Third: Haverford Township Solicitor Jim Byrne in action gives you faith that out there there are municipal solicitors who are quite simply in one word FABULOUS. Suffice it to say, every community could use a Jime Byrne.

Fourth: 3 television stations plus multiple reporters from print media. Especially Bill Bender of the Philadelphia Daily News, Deanna Durante from NBC10, and Lois Puglionesi from News of Delaware County! And Fox29 Philadelphia and 6ABC for sending cameras! Awesome!

So now, let's get down to it:

Bartkowski who wore a wrinkled suit and looked in need of a good hair cut was represented by that lawyer who did not do so well in front of Lower Merion's Planning Commission and is in the paper this week.

Bartkowski's lawyer said that Thaddeus Bartkowski has in essence a constitutional right to litter our communities with billboards, can you stand it? And as an aside, does anyone else find it odd that a man would refer to his company as "B.I.G."? Wasn't that a Tom Hanks movie where the premise is a kid wakes up one day as a grown-up? And didn't Rocky & Bullwinkle have a character in their cartoons called "BIG"? And then there is Mr. Big from Sex and The City, only Bartkowski is no Chris Noth? And the rap star the Notorius B.I.G.?

(I could go on, but won't)

Bartkowski's lawyer droned on and on and on about billboards and so did Bartkowski. They tried to compare their proposed billboards to flat signage affixed on the buildings of stores like Kohls and Staples. One of the sites on West Chester Pike was so amazing: a little teeny dentist's office with a GIANT pole and a giant billboard in front? Talk about David and Goliath.

Now, in Bryn Mawr, the issue is more dire now that residents have seen the plans. It looks like at 600 and 658 Lancaster Ave (Pizza Palace and Bryn Mawr Pizza respectively), the signs won't be affixed to the buildings on the roof, but will be mounted on a HUGE free standing pole so these GIANT billboards will float (LIT) over the tops of the buildings like rectangular godzillas? And this is this guy's constitutional right? To completely ruin our communities so he can jingle coin in his pocket? (Some audience members described it as making Lancaster Avenue look like the Vegas strip.)- Haverford Twp. solicitor also put into evidence a GIANT blue tarp that showed HOW BIG and B.I.G. billboard would be and had a fire truck outside with ladder extended to demonstrate the same thing. (YIKES was a word that came to mind)

Now with regard to poles, they would have to be in the alley, right? How would emergency vehicles and fire trucks be affected? Or the delivery trucks that go in there now? And this is the new enhanced views the folks on Dayton Road would have? Speaking of which, one speaker last night tugged at the heart strings: a man showed up to represent his brother, a resident of Dayton Road, who couldn't be there because he was in the hospital recovering from surgery.

Many others spoke, including Lower Merion residents. Depending on who was speaking, the B.I.G. lawyer was really quite obnoxious, but I guess that is his job, right? Doesn't that tactic always cracks you all up at zoing meetings: the public is forced to sit through an applicant and his representation and listen to them drone on and on as to why we should allow them into communities, yet when the community gets up, it's called let's play attack the residents for expressing their opinions? Yes, truly, I loved B.I.G. laywer's interpretation of the constitution and constitutional rights: his client should be allowed to put up billboards or his rights would be violated, yet we had no constitutional rights to free speech to express our opinion, and all the audience could think was "huh"? (and chant NO BIG SIGNS, NO BILLBOARDS which was AWESOME!)

Even Scott Zelov got the "special" treatment. He was there to present a resolution from the entire Board of Commissioners of Lower Merion Township to support Haverford Township and basically say this billboard proposal is totally disgusting, and the B.I.G. lawyer tried to question if Scott could be there to present it? I think it was under some heresay rulem, only the B.I.G. lawyer was in the audience at the Lower Merion Township Administration Building when this resolution was vetted and adopted because he had to be there to represent one of his clients in front of the board? What did B.I.G.'s lawyer want? All 14 Lower Merion Township Commissioners to show up? I hope someone sends him the DVD of the meeting so he can refresh his memory, don't you?

The meeting ended at 10:45 p.m. for part 1. There should be another meeting I believe on June 4th. Please, as these meetings are announced, go. Especially from Lower Merion, because Lower Merion has sent a lawyer to represent our residents' interests and our community interest along with the township's interests to preserve our community and not have a small, congested area look like I-95.

Billboards apparently a BIG no-no in Delco
By WILLIAM BENDER
Philadelphia Daily News

benderw@phillynews.com 215-854-5255

Thaddeus Bartkowski III has a simple plan to make some money: billboards.
But given the opposition he's encountering in Delaware County, you'd think the 28-year-old entrepreneur was building a slots casino on Baltimore Pike or a methadone clinic on Sproul Road.

About 250 residents, most of them fuming over Bartkowski's seemingly unpopular proposal to plant five 672-square-foot billboards in Haverford, packed Lynnewood Elementary School last night for a zoning-board meeting.

The turnout was more than twice that of a similar meeting in Springfield, where his Delaware-based company, Bartkowski Investment Group (BIG), wants to build seven of the double-sided signs. Marple Township and Morton Borough also have been targeted.

"What BIG wants to do is maximize its profits at the expense of Haverford and Lower Merion townships," said Haverford Solicitor Jim Byrne.

Politicians and residents in all five towns - two of the signs are near the Lower Merion border - are trying to block the company's proposal, claiming that the billboards would be an eyesore and a safety hazard that could stigmatize their communities and distract drivers on accident-prone roads.

Also worth noting, one candidate for commissioner in Lower Merion took the time to sit and attend and learn about current issues - Dominic Liberi. I thought that was wonderful. I suggest other commissioner candidates follow suit at the next meetings which occur, and I hope more Lower Merion Commissioner show up and support Haverford Township Commissioners as well. I wonder if anyone from Radnor was there?

Anyway, bravo residents of Lower Merion and Haverford Township for coming together and showing what community is all about. Stay tuned. This issue is just heating up...