Sign program draws complaints from residents and business

Residents in virtually all counties (St. L County, Jefferson, St. Charles, etc) have a growing unrest regarding signs posted for real estate sales, political endorsements, garage sales, and others. Many of these signs show up in subdivisions and posted on a subdivision's common ground. Some are taped to telephone poles light poles, benches, etc. while most are stuck in the ground. Some are never removed or stay posted for weeks or longer.

The City of Arnold is looking into this growing problem. Local real estate agents are unhappy with a new program the city created to remove temporary signs like those for garage sales. Volunteers have been recruited to clear signs attached to trees, telephone poles, public benches, streetlights and other public right-of-way property.

A representative for G'Sell Contracting asked the council to reconsider the ordinance to allow for directional signs for real estate developments. G'Sell has two developments in Arnold it is trying to promote. "In one year we have had a total of 212 visitors with 130 of them citing signs as the source they used to find our developments," said Ruben Leon.

At a December meeting, real estate agent Cindy Coleman accused the sign removers of taking down expensive signs she had put up and not returning them. The council plans to review the ordinance at a work session next month.

Arnold, is apparently getting tired of illegal signs and has recruited some volunteers to remove them. Residents in North St. Louis County have been doing this for years and realtors and others are realizing that they must comply with the ordinance or lose their signs to their “slash and trash” program.

A resident said directional real estate signs are illegal in all areas of unincorporated St. Louis County for the benefit of realtors.

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