Council revisits stop sign issue in Pinedale

by Trey Wilkinson

The Pinedale Town Council passed a pair of motions relating to town traffic during Tuesday evening’s town council meeting. One of the approved motions will add stop signs at a number of major intersections within the town, while the other calls for planning and zoning and the engineering department to move forward with a traffic study in Pinedale.

Pinedale resident Wendi Schwartz, who has attended a number of town council meetings in an attempt to reduce the number of vehicles disobeying posted traffic signs, was back to revisit the issue Tuesday.

“I’m here to revisit the stop sign and speed-limit issue,” she said. “I have noticed that speed- limit signs are only posted within the first block when turning off of Pine Street.”

Shwartz’s concern was that no other signs are posted further than one block off Pine Street and vehicles aren’t obeying the speed limit.

Mayor Steve Smith informed Schwartz that he had visited with Councilman David Hohl regarding the issue and came up with an experimental option.

“I’d like to ask the council what they think about providing 10 stop signs at the major intersections running east and west,” Smith said, “as sort of a test.”

Those intersections include: Washington Street and Madison Avenue; Washington Street and Jackson Avenue; Washington Street and Cole Avenue; Washington Street and Entertainment Lane; and Jackson Avenue and Wilson Street.

Councilman Gary Heuck was opposed to the idea.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “If the cops don’t take care of it now, stop signs won’t.”

Schwartz responded to Heuck claiming all he does is “say no.”

“If I offered you (Heuck) a million dollars you’d say no,” Schwartz said.

Hohl explained his feelings on the issue saying if stop signs were set up at certain intersections instead of yield signs there’d be less of an enforcement issue.

Councilman Chris House agreed.

“I don’t see what the 10 trial stop signs would hurt,” he said.

Ron Hanson with Public Works informed the council that the town owned a surplus of stop signs.

Hueck questioned why only one part of town would see a trial of 10 stop signs and Councilwoman Nylla Kunard agreed, informing the council that there are other places in town that see the same problems.

“I’m not against trying this out, but we need to be aware that if others come in with the same complaints we’ll have to do it for them as well,” Kunard said.

“It sounds like we’ll solve a lot of traffic problems then,” House said.

Heuck was of the same opinion as Kunard.

“I think we’re just opening a can of worms,” he said.

Town Planning and Zoning Administrator Meghan Jacquet said she felt a traffic study was important. With summer approaching and more traffic on city streets Jacquet feels now would be a good time to conduct the study.

Town Engineer Eugene Ninnie agreed with Jacquet.

“I can support Meghan,” he said. “A study would come back with conclusive data.”

A motion was made to place but not limit stop signs to the five previously mentioned intersections.

The motion passed with Heuck opposing.

A second motion was made to allow planning and zoning and the engineering department to pursue a traffic study.

The motion passed unanimously.

In other town action:

• The 2007-2008 budget was discussed briefly by the council.

The council felt it necessary to increase money budgeted for streets, gutters and curbs, and the town shop. The budget will be revisited at the next council meeting.

• The council discussed concerns with the language in an ordinance dealing with the control of cats.

The language of the ordinance reads cats are given 24 hours after being picked up by animal control before being put up for adoption or destroyed while dogs picked up by animal control were given five days before being put up for adoption or destroyed.

Smith asked Animal Control Officer Julie Early if she had a problem with holding cats for five days.

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Early said, “as long as they are not infectious or vicious. If I pick up a tame cat it has a right to go back to its owner.”

Smith said extending the holding period to five days would also provide time for adoption opportunities.

A motion was made to change the language of the ordinance to allow cats to be held five days prior to being put up for adoption or destroyed. The motion passed unanimously.