Mayor White and the members of Council clearly heard the strong voices of our organization, concerned individuals, other area organizations and you if you spoke up and made our concerns known about the original terms of this agreement when it was first proposed in December. As you are aware, Scenic Houston and the Quality of Life Coalition have been represented by an expert set of advisors to the City of Houston in its efforts to perfect this settlement agreement with Clear Channel Outdoor.

Scenic Houston/QOLC's goal has been to ensure the city was in as strong a position as possible in the negotiation with Clear Channel.

In particular, the agreement includes elements not in the original settlement and which were priorities for Scenic Houston and the Quality of Life Coalition:

• is based on an entirely complete, accurate and verified inventory of Clear Channel's holdings
• places a special priority on removing billboards in city Scenic Districts
• except for those that must be removed for government projects, allows NO billboard relocations (there will be a total of 831 boards taken down -- 466 mediums will remain)
• in exchange for the takedowns, the agreement allows Clear Channel to extend the life of 24 large existing billboards
  

The Mayor and Council Members heard our outcry.  It would be very appropriate for your organization and members to call and write the Mayor and members of Council to express your thanks. They need to know that their actions are being acknowledged and appreciated.

From:
Olga Moya
President, Scenic Houston Board of Directors
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