Business ticketed for bolting ads to Newbold stop signs

Newbold town chairman Dan Hess told the rest of the town board during a meeting on April 24 a business has been contacted for affixing advertisements on town signs and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of what was happening.

Hess said the business, Mosquito Police, has been placing signs in the town the last three years. He said he contacted the business and the person wasn’t “very nice to me.” 

Public works director Mark Fetzer has spoken with the business as well, according to Hess. 

“So I noticed (advertisements) were on stop signs and I did call talk to Mark about it,” Hess said. “Mark … saw some on stop signs. So I did call the sheriff’s office and he was issued a citation for criminal damage to property and advised to have all of them removed. He’s bolting them to our stop signs.”

The business was advised to have all advertisements removed by April 25, he said, or he would be issued a citation for each one. 

“So if you see any, let me know,” Hess asked of the other board members, noting advertisements he was aware of were already taken down. “So he must’ve got the hint, but we’re not the only township who’s had a lot of issues with this company.”

Town supervisor Scott Ridderbusch asked, generally, about signs being placed in town right-of-way. 

Hess said signs can’t be in the right-of-way. 

“Any advertisement sign I find in our right-of-way, anybody’s, I take them out and I throw them in the garbage,” Fetzer said. “I just pulled two out on the way here … from somebody else, not the Mosquito Police.”

“It is a crime to affix stuff to our stop signs,” Hess said. 

Spreading the word

The Newbold town board also agreed to help spread word for the Colin F. Shultz American Legion Post 318 about honoring veterans at the town’s cemetery. 

Adrian Pritchard of Post 318 told the board the American Legion involved the town in the Wreaths Across America program last year, where wreaths were placed at the grave sites of veterans. 

He said he’s concerned about the support of people in Newbold, whereas in Lake Tomahawk, the other town Post 318 involved in the program, covered every single one of the veterans’ graves there. 

Pritchard said he was told there were 160 veteran graves in the Newbold cemetery. 

Right now, he said, Post 318 is working to get the community involved to help get additional wreaths and cover the graves. 

Hess asked exactly what Pritchard was asking for. 

Pritchard said either a monetary donation or more volunteers would work. 

“This year it’s Dec. 15, we’ll be out at your cemetery at 1 o’clock … to lay the wreaths out there,” he said. “Last year we had a little ceremony, there were only … seven of us. We held a little service, a little prayer, played taps and then laid the wreaths, as many as we had. We only had 68 for the entire cemetery.”

Hess said the town can spread the word for the American Legion on the town’s Facebook page and website. 

Pritchard said for those who donate money to buy wreaths, Wreaths Across America matches, so it’s two wreaths for the price of one.

Hess said he would contact Pritchard to move forward and made a motion to that effect. It passed unanimously. 

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].