Item 2A
AGENDA ITEM # 2A
FEBRUARY 26, 2007
~, Hanson, Jim
From: Steve Fouraker [fouraker@beachesleader.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 3:15 PM
To: Hanson, Jim
Subject:. regarding newspaper racks in Atlantic Beach
Jim and Commissioners,
I wanted to let you and the commissioners know that representatives of the various
newspapers came together as a loose confederation of publishing and distribution companies
to discuss a cooperative mechanism to solve concerns about newspaper rack aesthetics,
maintenance and safety at several locations in Atlantic Beach. For the purpose of acting
together in Atlantic Beach, we will call ourselves The Publishing Group. I will be the
contact person for the group.
We all agreed that a "good neighbor" approach of policing ourselves would be a better
approach for us and the city than a protracted debate over the special consideration given
newspapers in constitutional law.
Although we represent often competing companies with vastly different resources, we
decided take on the cost to cooperatively place modular style newspaper racks at certain
locations of concern in the city.
Modular newspaper racks create a uniform presentation of the various publications which
would replace individual stand-alone racks for each publication. Modular newspaper
displays will be of the same color and will be fastened securely to the ground.
For a cooperative agreement between many different publications to work, the economics of
the smaller or newer publications must be taken into account. Because of these
considerations, we would like to place metal modular racks for coin-vended publications
~" and plastic modular racks for non coin-vended publications in every possible location.
We agreed to work with the City Manager to decide which locations should have modular
displays and the details of the rack placement for
each location. Maintenance, graffiti, safety or any other concerns
will be handled in a timely manner by the Group. These concerns can be communicated to
the Publisher's Group though the contact person, Steve Fouraker of The Beaches Leader.
aa.
As with any voluntary or cooperative arrangement, success will be determined by what we
do, not what we say. I feel confident that we devised the least complicated solution to
concerns about newspaper racks in Atlantic Beach.
Sincerely,
Steve Fouraker
The Beaches Leader
~+ 249-9033
~" 1
* ~ ;~;~' ~ ~~ AGENDA l l ~:nn a ~r+
~.~` ~ ~ i .• + FEBRUARY 26.2007
r4 ~y ~~, ti
.~, ~ SS 't1 ,1 1 T f S #T ~^f I
1 i
~~
~~ ~I
ii 1
.. ~R~~~ .
