by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 13/97) - The owner of The Washtub laundromat says he's frustrated that the city keeps forcing him to take down signs that help customers find his new Woolgar Avenue facility.

"I'm a new business trying to get started -- I don't need city hall breathing down my neck about petty things," said John Coumont Monday.

Since opening the city's second laundromat last spring, Coumont has been trying to advertise his business using a series of signs on Range Lake Road and Woolgar Avenue.

He went before the city's development committee last week to get permission to keep the signs. Council, however, denied Coumont's request at their regular meeting Monday night.

David Jones, a city development officer, said that the city is following the provisions of its zoning bylaws.

"The intention is to restrict offsite advertising, but there are provisions for billboards in our billboard policy," he said. "These are, however, for public service announcements or community events like Folk on the Rocks."

Jones said that the city cannot go ahead with such requests because of the chance that the city become inundated with offsite advertising for businesses.

"There are 1,600 registered businesses in Yellowknife," he said. "If you take it to its extreme, if every business in Yellowknife has two or three offsite advertising signs, they could put up upwards of 5,000 signs."

But Coumont maintained that no one has ever been treated the way he has -- his signs have been pulled by the city.

"I think it's garbage -- no one has been questioned before," he said. "Take a look at the signs in Kam Lake and on Old Airport Road...."

Jones said that the signage provisions under the city's zoning bylaw are set to be reviewed in the next couple of months.

In the meantime, Coumont is left with two signs directly in front of his laundromat. And they don't help his customers find the facility.

"The city should be helping small businesses, not hindering them," he added.