Woodruff town board considers stop signs on Spruce Street

The Woodruff town board at its Tuesday meeting agreed to take steps to eliminate a stop sign on Spruce Street where the road intersects with 4th Avenue.

All stop signs were considered by the board throughout the discussion, though, and it was agreed that the stop sign at the intersection of Spruce Street and Chestnut Street should stay.

Town chairman Mike Timmons started the discussion, saying he spoke with chief of police Corey Backhaus. Backhaus, he said, indicated to him simply that with stop signs on that road drivers will slow down and without them they will speed up. 

“Other than that, stop signs are there for more than a reason to slow people down,” Timmons said, still referencing his conversation with Backhaus. “He has no opinion one way or the other. Complaints for running the stop signs are going to be as bad as speeders … because they (police) can’t sit there 24/7.”

Timmons turned it over to road chief Dave Meier. 

“I believe if they’re not necessary, that they put extra wear and tear on the road (by) starting and stopping,” Meier said. 

Town supervisor Corky Sheppard said “it’s either they’re going to run the stop sign or they’re going to speed.”

“But the ones that are speeding are probably running the stop signs anyways,” Meier said. “I mean they’re there … just with the new road, a lot of people (are) saying ‘Why do you have stop signs there?’ So the question was brought up: Should we just eliminate them?”

Sheppard asked if the stop signs are taken out, how would everyone who lives nearby know they are going to be taken out.

Timmons indicated people will just have to notice for themselves.

“It’s the same as when you put it in, we don’t write everybody a letter saying there’s going to be a stop sign here,” he said. “I don’t think, I know in recent history we’ve had nobody run those stop signs and have had an accident. The only accident we’ve had that Corey can find on a side street in that area is something on Chestnut, and that was a slide-through quite a few years ago.”

Sheppard asked if the stop signs near the intersections of Chestnut Street with Spruce Street and 4th Avenue with Spruce Street would be removed.

Meier indicated he wasn’t sure about the Chestnut Street with Spruce Street intersection because of school bus use. 

“Because that is the school bus stop for that whole neighborhood there,” Sheppard said. 

Town supervisor Sam Weber said without a stop sign at that intersection, “you’re going to run into problems.”

“I would definitely keep Chestnut (stop sign) in because of that school bus stop there,” Sheppard said. “And it’s such a short distance from 47 to that, but they still run that one too at times.”

Christenson said he was indifferent to what the board decided to do. However, he said he agreed that the stop sign near Chestnut Street is “more crucial.”

“I mean, if we (do) take it down and find it’s an issue with people traveling too fast, we can put it back,” Christenson added. 

Town supervisor Melissa Bucklew made the motion to leave the stop sign near Chestnut Street and eliminate the one near 4th Avenue. 

Town clerk Julie Huotari wanted clarification on exactly which stop sign near the Spruce Street-4th Avenue intersection would be removed. She was told the north-south stop sign. 

The board approved the motion unanimously. 

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].