Oakdale's Oak Run Shores Neighborhood Gets its Stop Signs

Heron Avenue motorists will have to make a few more stops while traveling through the Oak Run Shores neighborhood.

The Oakdale City Council approved the neighborhood's request for three stop signs on the road through the neighborhood.

Although Heron Avenue’s intersections with Ninth Street, Seventh Street and  Henslow Avenue don’t meet the city’s guidelines for requiring stop signs, the Oakdale City Council decided the request was justified.

“There’s only so much an engineering study can truly dictate,” said council member Stan Karwoski. “I think this is a time when I’m just going to go against the professional advice.”

Oak Run Shores homeowners have complained for years that there were “accidents waiting to happen,” at the intersections, said Barb Schmidt, former president of the neighborhood’s homeowner’s association. “It’s a small matter on the surface, but for us, it’s a very big matter.”

Heron Avenue resident Wendy Jahnke said she has had to drive up onto the curb to prevent a head-on collision on Heron.

“This is a real issue with people who believe they do not need to slow down and stop,” she said.

Oak Run Shores resident, Les Jepsen, said he trusted the city's conclusion that the stop signs aren't needed.

Mayor Carmen Sarrack warned the residents against getting a false sense of security once the stop signs are installed.

“I’d hate to see somebody blow one, and something bad happens,” he said.

City Engineer Brian Bachmeier said stop signs have limited effectiveness in reducing speeds and the potential for accidents at sites where the guidelines don’t require them.

The council also approved the neighborhoods request to prohibit parking on Heron Avenue from 10th Street south to the first driveway to the west.

The cost to install the signs is about $100 each, Bachmeier said, with approximately $10 in maintenance costs annually.