James Coburn
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND — The Edmond City Council voted Monday night in favor of closing a 30-foot right-of-way on State Street.
“I appreciate the fact that this needs to be closed because it’s nothing but an unattractive nuisance at this point,” said Elizabeth Waner, city councilwoman.
This section north of Campbell extends farther north to the Meadow-lakes addition northwest of Ida Freeman Elementary School, said Bob Schiermeyer, city planner.
A walkway is presently through the area that utilizes a bridge extending to Kelly across a creek. Schiermeyer said the walkway would no longer be needed because the school district will provide bus pickup and drop-off in the Meadow-lakes addition.
Mayor Patrice Douglas said she walked through the area to find tall grass and pieces of a fence are pulled back, posing a safety risk for children.
“I think it’s just very important that we keep the kids safe,” she said. “There were teachers out there monitoring, trying to keep kids from walking down there.”
Problems with code enforcement are not unique to this area or Edmond, said Wayne Page, city councilman.
“You have to call code enforcement and you’re told you’re on the list,” Page said.
City statutes mandate that property owners must be given proper time for mowing after being notified by mail.
“You can’t just go out and mow it,” City Clerk Nancy Nichols said.
Councilman David Miller reminded the council that the 30-foot right-of-way is owned by the City of Edmond.
Tem-porary fencing already has been placed to sequester the area with permission by the city, said Bret Towne, associate superintendent of district operations for Edmond Public Schools.
He reassured residents living on Meadow Lakes Drive that school buses won’t be parking on the property.
“By looking at some of the old abstracts we think there is some dispute as to who actually owns that land,” he said. “We have some institutional memory that says at one point that was school property, but it was traded to the city for some existing property on Campbell and State.”
Douglas directed city staff to determine who owns the property.
In other business, the City Council voted against a variance request to allow a time, temperature and date sign for the Century 21 Goodyear Green office at 1220 S. Santa Fe.
Jim Gleason of Superior Neon Signs said a dimmer control would make the sign dim at night without glare. But Waner said she would need more information to determine how bright the lights would actually be at night.
“Given the location and zoning for the sign ordinance, I don’t think it is a good idea,” Waner said
Also, the commission voted in favor of a variance request to allow a wall sign extending at right angles from the wall for Prime Bank at 1016 W. Covell Road.
Josh Moore of Turner & Company said the bank wants to reflect the historic effect of Market Square at Covell Village. “Bank” will be the only word on the sign.
jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 114
