There is a dispute in Cedar Grove over artwork, as the town looks to remove a
mural behind a coffee shop.
The town wants the mural
behind Cedar Beans Coffee Joint taken down.
The store owner, Dave
Fletcher, contacted two local artists for the job. He says he got
the OK from neighbors and the landlord first.
A few days later, he received
a summons because of a town ordinance that bans signs from being painted on
public walls.
Fletcher argued it isn't
a sign -- it's art.
"There's no definition of a mural or artwork or anything in the
town's laws,” says Fletcher. “That was why I felt a mural not intended to be in
the view of a general public, directly behind a building, not in view of anyone
who would enter or drive by the coffee shop, was permitted. It's not a sign.
It's not intended to advertise anything and I don't use it as an advertising
tool."
The town
council is now looking to change the law's language to also prohibit art and
murals.