VETERANS COMMISSION NEEDS SIGN FUNDING

Efforts to place two signs along I-55 near its junction with Highway 61 to direct visitors to the Cape Girardeau Veterans Home have been stymied by the state's tight financial crunch, a state official said Thursday.

Robert R. Bucker, executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission, said the commission has received permission from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department to place the informational signs along the interstate at Cape Girardeau and near its three other veterans homes at Mexico, Mo., Mount Vernon and St. James.

"The problem is, we do not have the money in our limited budget to pay for the signs," Buckner said. "It would cost over $14,000 for the six signs, two at each veterans home. When we found out the total cost we had to drop the idea because we feel we must use our limited funds for the residents who live in the homes."

Buckner said it would cost the commission $4,716.25 to place two signs (one for each direction) near each veterans home in the state, for a total of $14,139.95 for six signs.

Bucker said the commission has been aware of the need for the signs for over two years. In a letter to the Highway and Transportation Department Oct. 3, Buckner said the commission had received a number of requests from the public and from state legislators for signs to help families, friends and visiting groups to locate the homes.

"These state facilities are visited by veterans organizations and friends of the state's 620,000 veterans on a regular basis," the letter stated.

Buckner said the only option for the commission is to wait and see what kind of funding the commission receives in its fiscal 1992-93 budget that begins July 1.

He said there is another possible alternative: a joint or cooperative effort by state veterans organizations and political sub-divisions such as county and city governments to raise the approximately $5,000 needed to erect the signs near each home.

"There has been some interest expressed by some members of veterans organizations in raising money for the signs, but at this time I am not aware of anything specific," said Buckner.

He suggested a possible way to pay for the two signs for the Cape Girardeau Veterans Home would be for a veterans group such as the Cape Girardeau County Joint Veterans Council to join with the Cape County Commission and the Cape Girardeau City Council to split the cost of the signs, or undertake a cooperative effort to raise the $5,000.

"We certainly have no opposition to the concept, and would encourage it in view of our limited financial resources," said Buckner. "Perhaps if it works at Cape Girardeau it will spur others to do the same thing in those counties where our other veterans homes are located."

Buckner said it was a significant achievement to get permission from the Missouri Highway Commission to place the signs along the interstate or highway. Until recently the commission would not permit certain informational signs on highway right-of-way, other than those relating to the needs of the traveling public. The commission reversed the policy about two years ago, but said signs such as those requested by the Veterans Commission would have to be paid for by the agency or organization requesting them.

Freeman McCullah, District 10 highway engineer at Sikeston, said the cost of manufacturing the familiar, oblong green-with-white-trim signs along the interstate and other highways is $35 per square foot. The signs are manufactured for the highway department by the Missouri Division of Corrections, Prison Industries. He said the cost includes the manufacture of the sign, installation, sign posts, and required maintenance by the highway department for 20 years.

McCullah said an exception to the commission's policy is signing for facilities that draw a large number of visitors each year such as Six Flags Over Mid-America at Eureka and the Hearnes Center on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus.

McCullah said other instances where the highway and transportation department will erect signs at their own expense are for state parks and historic sites such as Trail of Tears State Park and the Bollinger Mill Historic Site. Both have signs along I-55 to direct motorists to their locations. The department will also place a "hospital" sign near an interstate exit to indicate the presence of a nearby medical facility.

McCullah said if an organization or political subdivision such as a city wants a more elaborate city limit sign along the interstate the highway department will help in the design and manufacture of the sign, but the city or organization must pay for it.

"We will put the standard city limit signs on our right-of-way at no charge, but if they want something more than that they must pay for it," he explained. "Right now we're working with Cape Girardeau on a special city limit sign to reflect the city's upcoming bi-centennial. We're also working with Poplar Bluff on a unique design city limit sign that they will pay for."