Council Schedules Executive Session to Discuss Latest on Billboard

City councilors will be meeting behind closed doors with city attorneys and possibly representatives of Total Outdoor Corp., to discuss pending litigation over the company's billboard structure on Lowell Street.

The current location of the 92-foot pole is the problem -- attached to the side of a building at 532 Lowell St. -- on top of initial strong opposition from councilors and the neighborhood at having the billboard there at all.

The city says, essentially, that the pole was installed in the wrong spot and should have been placed instead behind the building, theoretically out of sight from Lowell Street. Total Outdoor Corp. disagrees.

A hearing is scheduled for March 18 (2 p.m.) in Salem Superior Court, but prior to that, councilors will meet in executive session March 14 (7:15 p.m.) in the mayor's office at City Hall.

The exact details of that meeting will remain private until at least the entire matter is settled with the entertainment company.

Ward 5 Councilor Dave Gamache, declining to comment specifically on the upcoming meeting, did indicate Total Outdoor Corp. may be floating a proposal to try and resolve the dispute.

He said he expects a series of proposals and counter-proposals to fly back-and-forth before the dispute is finally settled.

"If they move it, it's only 35 feet to the rear. Will that really make a difference?" he said.

At-Large Councilor Anne Manning-Martin also alerted residents to Thursday's meeting via an update on her Facebook page.

"Although the public is not allowed in Executive Session, folks opposed to this monstrosity may use this opportunity to speak to their representatives on the City Council prior to the meeting to let them know how they feel about it," she said.

Gamache said that while many residents and several councilors would prefer the billboard were gone entirely, that's an unrealistic wish at this juncture.

He pointed out that a judge has already allowed the pole to be installed on the property; what remains to settle now is where exactly it should be located.

"Unfortunately, it's not going to go away...we'll just have to wait and see what the judge says."