Keep 'Em Off the Pole

Businesses look to end posters on poles they say pose problems

Bennett Properties Owner John Bennett uses a sawzall tool to cut through several inches of posters and staples on a utility pole along Airport Way S. (Video provided by John Bennett)

When I first moved to Georgetown and walked down Airport Way S, I was struck by the number of posters attached to utility poles.

In a tech-heavy, digital-savvy town, posters on wooden utility poles still advertised events to passers-by and those taking smoke breaks outside the local bars. The colorful showbills advertised everything from rock shows, theater troupes and beer fests to tax help and apartments.

The showbills felt like a throwback to another era, much like the brick buildings and pubs with neon signs increasingly feel like a cultural counterpoint to a city hellbent on redevelopment.

But what I didn’t immediately notice is that most posters were never removed. The staples and paper layers became several inches thick, alternately absorbing years of rainwater followed by the summer sun’s heat before another fast-walking dude with a staple gun applied another layer.

But torn posters clump up in the rain creating trash while some Mensa members attempt to set fire to posters in the drier months.  

And now, John Bennett has had enough. The longtime owner of several Georgetown properties wants to end the poster posting on poles. He said the posters were not an issue 25 years ago, but now his business tenants constantly clean up poster trash found on sidewalks and parking lots. He blames the poster companies for not removing old posters. 

“They just don’t have any respect for this neighborhood,” he said. “If they can’t play right and be respectful of our community” then they won’t put up posters. He said he was affixing “Post No Bills” signs to the poles to discourage new posters. A walk down Airport Way last week indicated at least one poster hanger disregarded Bennett’s sign, tacking up a yellow poster for a Jan. 24 rock show at a nearby tavern.

On Jan. 11, Bennett and workers at his property management company along with Georgetown Business Association President Debra Broz and Georgetown Youth Council members cut down posters on a few poles using a sawzall. They contracted with WELD Works to strip the remaining poles with work continuing later this week and possibly next week.

Broz said someone saw a poster from 2018. Another person pointed out a poster with a Barack Obama logo from maybe 2015. And there were posters for concerts at the old Key Arena. 

When they finally reached the wood on some poles, it appeared some were rotten, she said. “It was pretty crumbly looking. … It didn’t look great.”  She planned to reach out to Seattle City Light to ask them to assess the soundness of the utility poles.

Georgetown has a recent history of utility poles toppling over. In 2019, 26 poles fell over on East Marginal Way S in nearby Tukwila. In 2021, another storm toppled 15 poles shutting down the road in both directions and the South Park Bridge.

A spokeswoman with Seattle City Light could not immediately answer about the condition of Airport Way’s utility poles. She said she would contact people within the utility to learn more.