El Paso County starts new policy to regulate placement, maintenance of roadside memorials
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- We often see makeshift memorials created along local roads, streets and highways where loved ones died in vehicle crashes, and many friends and relatives take pride and find comfort in those creations.
However, El Paso County officials say that the collection of crosses, photos, flowers, stuffed animals, and other items poses a concern because there is no policy to manage them, maintain them and keep them consistent.
The county is in its second week of a new policy approved by commissioners to address that concern, a policy that many local governments already have.
Joshua Palmer, the county's chief engineer, said that the policy helps the county remain accredited by the American Public Works Association.
"There's hundreds of different items that (we) had to go through and determine, " he explained. "Do you have a policy? If you do, does it need to be updated? How does it apply? You need to improve it."
Currently, a citizen is not required to register to create a memorial, to seek permission to do so, or to pay for establishing and maintaining it.
The new policy requires a citizen to submit an application; if it's approved by the county's chief engineer, the applicant must pay a $100 fee and receive a blue, personal sign for the lost loved one that will remain at an approved location for five years.
County employees will make and install the sign, return it if it has to be moved for roadside work, and replace it if it becomes damaged.
The fee covers some but not all of the cost of providing signs to replace handmade memorials, the county says.
Officials say that a sign honoring the victim of a crash will include the victim's name, or be sponsored by another person or entity authorized by a family member.
However, a sign remembering an impaired driver will not bear that person's name, but will be allowed to include a safety message.
There are 15 memorials along county roads, and those memorials are grandfathered in and not required to follow the new policy.
Some of those memorials include different types of signs, but the county seeks more consistency in that regard.
The county also says that no photos or other personal items can be placed around memorials, under the new policy.
OTHER LOCAL ROADSIDE MEMORIAL PROGRAMS
Colorado Springs has no formal process regarding roadside memorials, but if officials receive a complaint about them and an inspector determines that they pose a safety hazard, they will be removed and stored by the Operations and Maintenance Division for at least three months.
People who installed the removed materials can reclaim them by contacting the city.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has a formal program that requires an application and a fee of $150 if approved; signs are installed for a maximum of two years and can only be placed on state highways.
Pueblo allows a free placement of a roadside memorial for a maximum of 45 days; for a $200 fee, the city will erect and maintain a sign for up to six years; citizens can pay more for a memorial bench or a tree plaque on city property.
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