Page 2 THE REVERE ADVOCATE - Friday, May 24, 2019 City Council seeks removal of “Ugly Houses” banner By Alexis Mikulski n Monday night the City Council approved a motion to ask the Mayor to O send a letter to the MBTA to request the removal of an enormous sign currently draped across the Wonderland MBTA station parking garage. In a motion presented by Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna and Ward 5 Councillor John Powers, the sign MAYOR BRIAN M. ARRIGO invites you to attend the Ward 5 Councillor John Powers 2019 Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 27th at 11:00 AM American Legion Lawn 249 Broadway, Revere, MA 02151 The City of Revere welcomes Warrant Officer Nicholas Lavery of the U.S. Green Berets as this year's keynote speaker. WO Lavery lost his right leg on March, 11, 2013 and received three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Bronze Star with Valor for heroism in combat. In 2015, he went back to Afghanistan to become the first Special Forces operator to return to combat as an above-the-knee amputee. hanging on the Wonderland garage, which reads “We Buy Ugly Houses,” violates an ordinance created over a year ago in the city of Revere. “They put it on after the ordinance was approved, and I would like them to take it down,” said Councillor McKenna. The ordinance bans billboards and advertisements across the city, regardless if a service or business is conducted on the property in which the sign is located. Digital billboards, which change ads every few minutes, are regulated closely by officials. Following the ceremony, all are welcome to join us at Joseph L. Mottola VFW Post 4524, 61 Lucia Ave, for a lunch to honor our World War II Veterans and commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day “We Buy Ugly Houses” banners are a popular advertising campaign that can be seen all over Boston and its surrounding areas. They typically appear as bright yellow fluorescent squares and can be found on light posts or in stakes on the ground. These 10 x 12 posters can be hard to miss, especially when they are placed in a popular location, like the Wonderland T-Station – one of Revere’s most visited sites. “Honestly, I’ve seen this last week, and my first thought was, ‘this looks sloppy.’ It doesn’t even look like it’s professionally done,” said Councillor-at-Large Steve Morabito. “It looks like someone just Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna draped it over the building,” he said. In Monday’s meeting, Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe suggested that in addition to this banner, billboards across the city should be taken down. “All of those signs should be removed, and charge the companies that put them up,” said Keefe. “Outside of the National Guard ones – those are the only ones I have no problem with; those are the only ones I would say to leave them alone, they’re representing our country,” he said. Even with an ordinance put in place, the removal of signs and billboards across the city is not that simple. Buildings that are stateowned properties, such as the Wonderland parking garage, possess different rights than privately owned buildings. Regardless, the Council discussed that the MBTA should not be an exception to this rule. “We need to resolve this matter once and for all and find out what law or rule they think they can operate to do this,” said Councillor Powers. “I would like to take it one step further and have the MBTA come up here and explain their rationale of why they put that sign up,” he said. We remember with respect and gratitude those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation.
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