VENTURA : Motel Owners Mad, May Sue Over Sign

Spurned by the City Council, owners of the Ventura Travelodge are determined to get the last word, in large block letters.

The council’s refusal to allow Patti and Jerry Hempenius to put up a new sign atop their Travelodge at 929 E. Thompson Ave. has caused the Hempeniuses to raise a protest--about 10 feet high.

“But For City Council We’d Have A New Blue Sign,” says a sign about halfway up a pole in front of the motel.

The Hempeniuses had hoped to replace the Travelodge sign atop the pole with a new sign to conform to Travelodge International’s new logo.

The City Council rejected the request, saying the sign should be lower.

“It’s unfortunate that it has to come to this. You’d think the city would work with you,” said Hempenius, who called the council’s action “hard-nosed.”

The Hempeniuses say if they can’t change the sign, they’ll be forced to sell their business. The Hempeniuses now plan to sue the city, Patti Hempenius said.

They labeled the council’s decision unfair, saying the Vagabond Motel two blocks down the street was allowed to change its pole sign logo last year to keep in step with a new international motif.

City Planner Ann Chaney said the Vagabond was allowed to keep its current sign because it is within 250 feet of the Ventura Freeway.

Because of the motel’s design, the Vagabond had few other places to put its pole sign, Chaney said. The owners also agreed to lower and reduce the size of their original sign, she said.