Council considers street sign laws
1,000 new signs are installed
Published March 7, 2006
A sign stating "Fresh Oil, Loose Gravel" hangs in sophomore Sally Casteel's house. While driving in Boone County toward Ashland, Casteel and her roommate grabbed the sign when they spotted it alongside the road, she said.
"They were taken on a spur-of-the-moment type thing," Casteel said. "Actually, my roommates wanted them because they think they are nice decorations and complement the duplex really well."
A new ordinance introduced to the City Council Monday night would make it illegal for Casteel, or anyone else in Columbia, to possess signs such as these.
About 1,000 signs are installed every year, which includes new signs and replacements for damaged and stolen signs, Columbia street superintendent Jim McKinnon said.
"I'd speculate that it all started out as a few individuals who took signs to decorate their apartment, and it became a fad," McKinnon said. "People who would normally not take anything got caught up in the craze and did not realize that it is illegal and harmful to the community."
The proposed law would allow citizens to call the police if they see someone taking a sign and have a license number and description of the thief.
The police would then be able to recover the sign, said Denny Pendergrass, chief engineer of operations for public works.
"We have signs up so people can find their way around town," Pendergrass said. "They are vital so not only citizens can find their way around, but so firemen, policemen and ambulances have an easier time getting where they need to go. Plus, if you have your parents or a visitor coming in town that is new to the area, you wouldn't want them to get lost."
Some of the popular street signs to steal in Columbia are High Street and Corona Street.
Since the city put in Woody Lane about a year and a half ago, it has had to replace the sign about a dozen times, Pendergrass said.
"While people do not always think stealing street signs affects anyone, it costs the city tons of money and manpower to replace all of them," Pendergrass said.
At The Reserve, junior Zach Kadolph has a bright orange street sign in his bedroom that states "Road Closed Ahead."
It weighs about 40 pounds, and he said he found it lying in the street this summer.
"The sign adds to the atmosphere of the apartment and is really big and kind of cool," Kadolph said. "The new ordinance will probably deter people from stealing signs, but most people who have signs will hold on to them."
Pendergrass said if the ordinance passes, there probably would be a place for people to drop off street signs they already have and want to get rid of.
If they are in good enough condition, the city would be able to reuse some of the signs, he said.