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<br />Council OKs
<br />regulation
<br />of pay phones
<br />Ordinance allows removal
<br />of phones in `problem' areas
<br />By Anthony Lonetree No one was Kurt, but Blakey said
<br />Staff Writer that the incidents showed that drug
<br />dealers and prostitutes who conduct
<br />Less than a year after the Mimreapo- business on pay phones and on street
<br />lis City Council tightened an ordi- corners not only disrupt the quality
<br />Hance regulating pay phones, St. Paul of life in neighborhoods, but threaten
<br />has enacted a similar measure in public safety, as well.
<br />tropes of deterring street crime.
<br />A council committee also approved a
<br />proposal Wednesday restricting the
<br />location of new gun shops in St. Paul.
<br />7'1re phone ordinance, approved
<br />unanimously, allows city licensing of-
<br />ficials to designate a pay phone as a
<br />"prublem," and if necessary, order
<br />that it be removed.
<br />Council Member Jerry Blakey sought
<br />fire measure after a lengthy campaign
<br />last year to remove a phone at Selby
<br />Av. and Fisk St. He said that gunfire
<br />there twice resulted in shots entering
<br />a nearby group home.
<br />"The city should have the power to
<br />get rid of a public nuisance," he said.
<br />"If people are breaking the law with a
<br />tool [a phone], we should try to get
<br />rid of drat tool."
<br />In October. Blakey announced an as-
<br />sault on St. Paul quality-of- ife
<br />crimes.
<br />liis proposals included the ray
<br />phone ordinance and legislation hat
<br />would force business owners to dis-
<br />perse loiterers or face action ag inst
<br />their licenses.
<br />Council continued on pa a 8R
<br />~.`IX~ouncil/ ,Store own r
<br />.,,,.~ e s
<br />wye~.,,
<br />- : ~. can take ~ remedial ~ste s
<br />_..a.. p .
<br />i ; ,~:fio. revent ~ hone rem v
<br />,~ Y p p o al
<br />' ', ~on¢nued from page ~1B '., 1 ~ .received complaints about phones in
<br />• ~ ~ kr.
<br />` ~° ~ five locations, which is more calls
<br />~>halanti-loitering ordinance has yet than expected .during the winter,
<br />., ~ •,
<br />.:,., ~1,Q;lie presented to the council... • Boyd said. She added that many
<br />_. _ ~.o:.... ;_
<br />~`.. - ~ ,~ ' ' - cases are handled informally, without .
<br />` "T11~' pay phone measure gives busi- hearings, and that some businesses
<br />~ -~,t• t~C53' owners the right to a hearing , have removed phones voluntarily.
<br />before licensing officials declare their
<br />;--,;--,-ph"opes to be a problem. In most The St. Paul gun shop ordinance,
<br />~< ases, owners can take remedial
<br />1, "~ ,~ , , proposed by Council Member Bobbi
<br />a_+.~~s p's, such as blocking incoming calls .$ Megard, .was approved; .Wednesday,
<br />,; ~>famng phone use during certain by the-City Operations Committee.
<br />'~ hours, to prevent a removal order ~; ; Megard~ said she expects to receive
<br />~ W/.AIM' 1 '
<br />:' f ~~: ~ `~~ ~ ~ ' ~ `+ • 1 ~. • the five votes. ,necessary - to pass the • .
<br />L~S~ fall; the city of Chicago banned zoning change . ~ ! ;
<br />' .`-~' pay phones outside businesses after ; , .;.
<br />~. ;,drag dealers began taking them over.: The:; ordnance.,would restrict new ~.
<br />.;~iago,~Id, Ed Smith;, a,VYest Side, ;:? gun shops .to light- industrial areas. .
<br />' 88resentative;;saidahpn.~that the `at- ; The shops would have_to be at least
<br />~'~; .t~t(rde; oq;~the streets,has.been, 'I do ;~ I,000 feet from residential property
<br />' ` •. L~1fat I want, when I want."': ~ and any protected-use property, such
<br />• ~- ~ ' `~~s. ° • as a church, library, school, park,
<br />N~jripeapolis: started to regulate pay recreation center or day-care center.
<br />;~~,. ~;phopes in 1992, said Laura Boyd, a .
<br />- - - lt~ty.: hcense inspector. Last summer, ' The restrictions, opposed by Mayor
<br />~'~ ~~ ~ltitneapolis council -members con- Norm Coleman, would apply to gun
<br />''- sidered requiring licenses,for all out- ;' shops that devote a majority of their .`
<br />a:. d6oc pay phones but backed_off that " space to firearms and ammunition. It
<br />~, p,1grC, Instead, Boyd said, they fine- ~ is not intended to affect sporting
<br />;tuned the 1992 ordinance to ensure :goods stores or hardware stores. '
<br />;~~ that the city could regulate pay r
<br />i,. p~rones that encroached on sidewalks Statf writer Mary Lynn Smith con-
<br />" ahd:other public property. In Janu- tributed to this report.
<br />..t.~,.a
<br />- -arytithe Minneapolis licensing office
<br />}~~~ .:~ •
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