WEYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A double-sided, lighted billboard that towers over a Weymouth neighborhood was switched back on Thursday night despite attracting a number of complaints from angry residents.
Those living in the glow say they blame the town — more specifically the mayor — for signing the contract that allowed the billboard to be placed on the side of Route 3 last April.
“I feel like I am living in Las Vegas,” Ruth Pacino said. “Every day when I step out of my house I feel like I’m on the strip.”
Down the street, Amy Kabillion said she can see the billboard from her living room and she is “furious.”
“Very disappointed with the mayor and the administration,” she said.
After receiving so many complaints, the company, Cove Outdoor, agreed to turn the billboard off for a short time.
Meanwhile, the town held a number of meetings.
“When we undertook this, I can say from beginning to end, we didn’t anticipate we would have these kinds of impacts,” Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund said.
Hedlund said people living nearby were notified of construction and said he received no objections.
Since the town has not been able to strike a deal, Cove Outdoor has decided to turn the billboard back on between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Those living nearby say the lights have been dimmed but now they are turning their concern to the trees.
Ninety-nine in total are due to be chopped down around the sign — some worth as much as $10,000.
The mayor has really, one, made a bad deal for our neighborhood,” Kabillion said.
Neighbors say they will not take this lying down. They plan to fight until the only thing that is lit in their neighborhood is the street lights.
“The fight is not over, I am in it for the long haul,” Pacino said.
However, there is word that another sign could be erected just 1,000 feet away.
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