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A little over a week ago, town officials asked Sippin Cow Cafe owner Fran Ciavolino to remove her sign from the sidewalk along May River Road, citing rules prohibiting obstruction of pedestrian traffic.
On Tuesday, Ciavolino repositioned her sign so it doesn't impede the sidewalk in front of the restaurant but remains visible to motorists and pedestrians.
Town manager Anthony Barrett said the town had received more than one complaint about her sign being on the sidewalk.
That means at least one other resident expressed worry about the sign in addition to Bluffton resident Roger Crane. On July 23, Crane wrote a letter to The Island Packet complaining the sign posed a safety hazard. He also said he was skeptical that speeding motorists were responsible for repeatedly knocking the sign down, as Ciavolino had said.
Ciavolino said she hopes to invite Crane over for lunch as a goodwill gesture.
Reached Friday, Crane called the offer a nice gesture but says he will decline.
"I can't see where anything can come of it. ...What's done is done," he said. "It's very gracious, and if she wants to call, she can call. I'll talk to her."
Before the complaints, the town was inclined to look the other way on sidewalk signs to help local merchants during the economic slowdown, Barrett said.
But all complaints must be investigated, he said, and the town was obligated to warn Ciavolino about her sign.
A Bluffton police officer also went Thursday to the Cottage Cafe, Bakery and Tea Room to warn owner Leslie Rohland about her sidewalk sign. She has since put it where the sidewalk meets Calhoun Street.
The town did not intend to create what Barrett referred to as a sign war, but finger-pointing caused the situation to escalate, he said.
Councilman Mike Raymond said the town does its best to address any egregious ordinance violations but must work with limited resources.
"The town, just like people in the town, are tolerant to a certain degree," he said. "We try not to be overbearing."
