Homemade road sign catches eye of county

EPIP ECAEP.

David Hitt, Cape Girardeau County's emergency operations coordinator, showed the county commissioners a photo of a county road sign that was erected and spelled backward.

In a rear-view mirror, it would read PEACE PIPE, but this homemade road sign near Egypt Mills in the county caught the attention of the 911 department.

Hitt told the commission that there are no county or state laws in place that gives the county the authority to take down signs. However, such signs as these, which cannot be seen well at night, could pose problems for emergency responders, Hitt said.

A proper sign that had been erected at Peace Pipe Lane was stolen, Hitt said.

The commission told Hitt to ask Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, who also serves as the county's legal representative, to look into the issue. Cape Girardeau and Jackson have street sign ordinances; the county does not.

Hitt said developers have requested to construct alternative street signs out of rock, but those would not be highly visible at night either, he said.