Tourism

Martin Hanzalek reinstalls his sign after the town town of Steady Brook takes it down.

“My Newfoundland Adventures sign is back on the business rooftop” says Hanzalek.

The My Newfoundland Adventures’ banner is up on the roof of its building next to the Trans-Canada Highway which leaves the Steady Brook council pondering its next tactical move.

The Mayor Cal Vincent is asking the town’s lawyer for advice on an appropriate response. The town is fighting with Martin Hanzalek, director of My Newfoundland Adventures, since 2006 to have the sign that doesn’t fit within the town’s regulations to be removed from the roof of the establishment.

“Martin Hanzalek is defying the order, there is no doubt about that,” said the mayor. “He put his sign back up. We want to seek legal counsel and see what the appropriate response would be to that. I would imagine it would be to look some kind of a court order or something to resolve this to the town’s satisfaction.”

Hanzalek erected the sign, the town told him it was too big and he didn’t have a permit. He applied for a permit and it was declined because the sign was too big and it was on the roof.

Steady Brook did a signage review and, when the report came back, ordered him to remove the roof top
sign. This year the town gave him notice by registered letter to remove the sign. The town cut the sign down and put it in the garbage. Hanzalek erected a new sign the very next day.

Calvin Vincent said council isn’t singling out the adventure tourism business. Another over-sized sign has sprung up on a nearby roof.

“We mailed a registered letter to martin hanzalek (the proprietor) of that business and asked him to remove that sign because it does not comply with our regulations,” the mayor said.
“Hopefully he’ll remove it, but he’s also got the appeal process to go through if he wishes not to.”

Martin Hanzalek believes his business is indeed being unfairly singled out. He said none of the businesses in the “impulse-buy zone” can make a go of it without a proper sign. All neighboring businesses have a sign of the same size and none of them were attacked like Hanzalek was.

Martin Hanzalek relies on the sign to attract groups of tourists from outside the area.

http://www.thewesternstar.com/Living/Motoring/2009-07-28/article-1479937/Steady-Brook-business-reinstalls-sign-after-town-takes-it-down/1

“The sign is not any larger than any other sign in the parking lot or of any business here in Steady Brook,” Hanzalek said. “We want to be treated just like the next guy.”

TRAVEL

A Weekend in Western Newfoundland

A few days on the coast will tease you with its aw-shucks scenery, then lull you with its creature comforts.

Play

At Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, hikers cross paths with caribou and Arctic hares. Guide Bob Hicks, who co-owns Gros Morne Adventures, will point out some of the hundreds of bird species while navigating the coastal plain along the fjord-slashed Long Range Mountains.

The antique store adjoining the Newfoundland Emporium may be ramshackle, but its impressive collection of bric-a-brac, old books and rare artifacts (check out the vintage radios) offers a 20th-century Atlantic history lesson. Knitted sweaters and artisan goods from the Emporium make good souvenirs – if you can bear to give them away.

The Rock lives up to its nickname at Corner Brook caves. It’s mostly a walk in the dark, but vertically inclined spelunkers can rappel down to a subterranean river. On our visit to this surprisingly warm underworld, My Newfoundland Adventures’ Marty Hanzalek gave a lesson on tiny cave spiders and the wonders of plate tectonics. Above ground, guides will take you power kiting and whitewater kayaking.

Snack

Bulgarian expats Lilly Ana and Stoyan Zahanov introduced gourmet pizza to these parts. At Sorrento Pizza, Pasta & Grill, they also make most of the pasta from scratch for dishes like seafood ravioli in a saffron cream sauce.

Strawberry Hill Resort was once the summer home of pulp and paper baron Sir Eric Bowater. Although we didn’t meet the Queen (a repeat visitor), the restaurant was almost as good as any royal sighting. A short, refined dinner menu, which changes weekly, features the likes of seared local halibut with an olive oil-lemon infusion. The globe-trotting wine list is more extensive, as are the views of the salmon-rich Humber River.

Relax

Sitting in a backyard hot tub at all-season Humber Valley Resort on Deer Lake, it’s easy to see why well-heeled foreigners are falling for its roomy, brightly painted chalets. The staff, a gregarious mix of locals and expats, likes to welcome arrivals with a beach bonfire. In summer, they’ll point you toward the best spots for salmon fishing. (In late 2008, the resort’s developers will launch an equally luxe condo-hotel on St. Kitts called Ocean’s Edge Resort.)

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