Tarentum Council to decide fate of proposed Weleski electronic billboard

After an initial denial by Tarentum, longtime business Weleski Transfer will get another crack at an appeal in its effort to erect an electronic billboard along West Fourth Avenue.

The borough’s zoning board on Monday had a public hearing and decided to refer the issue to council to consider it for a conditional use.

That means council could approve it — with conditions — despite it otherwise violating the borough ordinance.

Owner Gary Weleski did not respond to request for comments. He previously said he would talk about the matter after the borough reaches a decision.

Code enforcement officer Anthony Bruni said the initial proposal was denied because only static billboards are permitted in that zoning district.

In addition, the company is seeking to install a billboard that is larger than the allowable square footage in West Tarentum.

Weleski wants a billboard that is 14 by 48 feet — the same size as the one erected in July above the Tarentum Bridge.

Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said the conditional use hearing will be open to the public. A date has not been set.

“The issue is with the ordinance, itself,” Boddorf said. “It says you can have a billboard there, but it can’t be electronic and it has to be a certain size. As everyone knows, the high courts did not uphold that in our previous case, and we are in the process of updating our ordinances now.”

This billboard battle comes on the heels of a four-year fight with Oliver Outdoor and the eventual erection of an electronic billboard on East Fourth Avenue but tall enough to be seen y traffic on the Tarentum Bridge.

In 2019, Tarentum officials declined to give the company a permit for the sign, with the rationale being the land where the pole would be placed is zoned in a district where billboards are prohibited.

Appeals were heard in courts up to the state Commonwealth Court, which ruled against the borough.