BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Mandan City Commission has ordered another business to remove artwork from the building’s exterior because it painted the mural without a permit.
In January, the city commission enacted a six-month ban on mural permit applications.
Mandan Architectural Review Commission rejected Lonesome Dove’s sign permit application in January, saying the city code states “no sign or wall mural shall be painted on any building without prior approval from the MARC.”
The bar’s owners, Brian Berube and August Kersten, subsequently appealed saying they had not heard of MARC at the time.
Kersten told the city commission at a Tuesday meeting that the city should have approached them first.
Another impacted Mandan business owner says city officials are stripping away rights and “ruling us to death.”
