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Fresh dispute over 13-year-old, two-sided billboard in downtown Scranton

SCRANTON — A fresh dispute centers on a 13-year-old, two-sided billboard downtown at 320 Mulberry St. The sign structure supported by one large pole has two angled billboard frames, with one billboard sign facing east and one facing west, and both readily visible to traffic on Mulberry Street. The sign structure was erected in 2012, apparently without city zoning approval, according to discussion during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting Thursday simulcast by Electric City Television and posted on its YouTube channel. A two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) The signs facing in both directions on this billboard structure previously were 'static' vinyl-type banners. HARB, an advisory board within Scranton city government, heard an application Thursday by Kegerreis Outdoor Advertising of La Plume Twp. to replace the static signs with digital signs. 'We recently purchased the structure at 320 Mulberry St. with a lease interest and we were hoping to convert the static panels that are on that current billboard and change them to digital displays,' company representative Scott Kegerreis told HARB. The company already had removed both static signs and installed one digital sign facing west, before the city issued a stop-work order, Kegerreis told HARB. A two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)One side facing west of a two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) The city at first thought Don Mammano, who owns the four-story apartment building right next to the billboard structure that's at issue, was doing the sign work and contacted him about it, he told HARB. Mammano in 2013 bought the building called 317 Linden that spans the block between Linden and Mulberry streets. But the billboard structure was separate and not owned by Mammano, he said. He also was surprised to learn that digital billboards were going up there, right next to the north-facing wall of 317 Linden that has a large painting advertising his rentals in that building. 'For me to find out on a Saturday that I got a call from the city that I'm putting a billboard up, which I wasn't, and then I found out that it was being done without a permit with a stop-work order on it,' Mammano told HARB. Don Mammano, owner of the 317 Linden building in downtown Scranton speaks about a billboard at 320 Mulberry St.., which is shown in the red circle at the rear of his 317 Linden building, during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) Mammano objected to the conversion of the billboard faces from static to digital on several grounds, including: the structure apparently never got zoning approval; its dimensions do not appear to match a prior permit that had been obtained from the city to erect the sign structure; his question of whether the sign structure could support the weight of digital signs; and aesthetics. 'I just think there is no right or reason to have a double-sided digital billboard hanging over Mulberry Street,' Mammano told HARB. 'It just seems a little obnoxious to have a double-sided digital billboard that close to Mulberry Street.' Mammano also said he realized that there already are other digital billboards and signs in the area, but their circumstances might be different from the one in question at 320 Mulberry St. HARB member Katie Gilmartin said, 'I understand there are a lot of other digital signs in that vicinity. I tend to agree. I'm a little hesitant to move forward with adding another digital sign and yet I want to make sure we're being consistent with that as a board.' A digital billboard on a parking garage in the 500 block of Mulberry Street is shown in red circle on a slide shown during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE)A digital billboard at the intersection of the McDade Expressway and Mifflin Avenue in Scranton is shown in a red circle in an image shown during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) HARB showed images of other digital signs or billboards in the Mulberry corridor area, including one on a parking garage in the 500 block of Mulberry Street, and a two-sided sign structure mounted on a pole at the intersection of the McDade Expressway and Mifflin Avenue. Gilmartin also noted HARB previously had denied an application for a digital sign on Courthouse Square. Kegerreis said the zoning office told him that if HARB was on board with the digital conversion, 'then we were good to proceed forward.' HARB voted 3-0 — with Gilmartin and board members Conrad Bosley and William Lesniak all in favor — to table the Kegerreis application for further review with the zoning office. The board also will find out if the city's new zoning ordinance enacted in 2023 grandfathers in such a nonconforming use as allowable, according to the HARB discussion. Scranton's Historical Architecture Review Board on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, from left, Conrad Bosley, Katie Gilmartin and William Lesniak. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) Kegerreis said his company has been in business for 44 years and never encountered such a situation. 'I purchased the structure and the permits with a giant miscommunication between the two parties of saying 'you could do this project.' When I went to do it, unfortunately Don (Mammano) was caught in the middle of it, and rightfully so was upset about what was taking place,' Kegerreis told HARB. 'It was a bad situation that I personally feel bad about it, but we're trying to resolve it.' Scott Kegerreis of Kegerreis Outdoor Advertising speaks about a billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) HARB expects to revisit the application for a resolution at its next meeting March 13 at Scranton City Hall. 'We'll have to follow up with zoning. Sorry, we'll have to bring you back next month and hopefully in the interim we can get answers to all the questions the board has,' HARB solicitor John Finnerty said. Kegerreis replied, 'I realize it's a unique situation.' * A two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) * A two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) * One side facing west of a two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) * A billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton in May of 2012. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / GOOGLE STREET VIEW) * A billboard with a Dunkin' ad at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton in April of 2023. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / GOOGLE STREET VIEW) * A billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton in May of 2012. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / GOOGLE STREET VIEW) * A billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton in Nov. of 2022. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / GOOGLE STREET VIEW) * Scott Kegerreis of Kegerreis Outdoor Advertising speaks about a billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) * Don Mammano, owner of the 317 Linden building in downtown Scranton speaks about a billboard at 320 Mulberry St.., which is red circled and at the rear of his 317 Linden building, during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) * A digital billboard on a parking garage in the 500 block of Mulberry Street across from historic 1888 Scranton City Hall, is shown in red circle on a slide shown during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) * A digital billboard along the McDade Expressway where it become Mulberry Street near the intersection of Mifflin Avenue in Scranton is shown in red circle on a slide shown during the city's Historical Architecture Review Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (IMAGE SCREEN GRAB / ELECTRIC CITY TELEVISION VIA YOUTUBE) Show Caption 1 of 11 A two-sided billboard at 320 Mulberry St. in Scranton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in front of the north wall of a four-story building along Oakford Court and that fronts on 317 Linden St. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) Expand