City of Salem to get new street signs in 2012

Replacing every street sign within the city limits may not seem like a big task to some, but considering there are 350 stop signs alone, it’s a job that was giving Mayor David Bower nightmares.

The Federal Highway Safety administration has required that all street signs be replaced by the year 2015. The new signs are high intensity, making them easier to see at night, and the new poles are breakaway.

“They tell you that you have to do it, but they don’t tell you how to pay for it,” said Bower.

He said he knew the cost would be in the thousands and with the city already running on a tight budget, he didn’t know where they were going to come up with the money to pay for it.

That’s when some employees sprang into action.

Tom Voyles, superintendent of streets and sanitation for the city, along with Ronnie Voyles and Cindy Walton, applied for funding through the Indiana Department of Transportation and received $135,000 to cover the cost of the project.

“We were surprised with the amount we got,” said Bower, noting that they were hoping to get $30,000 to $50,000.

He said this saved the city from having to pull money from other funds, including road paving and street projects.

“I’m very proud of their efforts,” said the mayor.

Tom and Ronnie are both trained in Local Public Agency, which was required for all applicants. Their training, which is done every two years, made the city eligible to receive the Federal aid.

“We are going to go for the extra money when we can,” said Bower.

Ronnie said many of the cities that applied for the funding were turned down due to their applications not be filled out correctly.
Bower said the work that went into preparing for the application took a lot of time, which included an inventory of all the signs in the city.
“But thankfully, it paid off,” he said.

Although some signs have already been replaced, Tom said they will begin replacing more in early 2012 after they receive the funds.

It has been approximately 30 years since a sign project of this magnitude took place in Salem. The signs will cost approximately $100 each, which includes the sign and the post.

-M. Spaulding