Adult Billboard Signs In View of Estes Elementary and Marana Middle School

FIVE billboards advertising adult passion boutiques and "Girls Girls Girls Full Bar"  have popped up along the freeway in Marana within sight of both Estes Elementary and Marana Middle School.  Two can be seen while heading north. Three while heading south.  The picture shows one of the Girls Girls Girls signs that you can see in between the 2 school signs. This picture was taken at the far end of the schools. The kids can easily read the sign as they get off the bus at the middle school.  Where the buses are parked is where the middle school students board the buses. If they can't see that sign, they can read the identical sign which is blocked by the buses two signs down from this one.  The worst sign's HUGE letters face the elementary playground.

I talked to the mayor.  The town has no jurisdiction over the signs.  The states control the freeway/frontage road and billboards.  Melanie Bullock has been working with ADOT all day concerning the signs.  ADOT is trying to contact the companies involved to see if they will move the signs.  It's the first time signs like this have been placed in such close proximity to a school in Arizona.  If the companies refuse, we may have to take this all the way to the state legislature.  The mayor is trying to contact people at the state level to see if anything can be done as well and will get back to me soon.

ADOT has encouraged us to have people email The Outdoor Advertising Association of America to which the owners of the billboards belong.  Please fill out the contact form to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America at http://www.oaaa.org/ContactUs/   We need as many parents as possible to express their dismay that signs advertising adult businesses not appropriate for children can be read from both the middle school and the elementary school properties. The company that owns the billboards is a member of this association, and the association prides itself for protecting children from signs like this.