Like Nike, my township just did it

There’s a new resident in my neighborhood, and not everyone’s thrilled.

I’m thrilled, to a degree. But I’m also disappointed.

And between those feelings grows a weed that is government chaff for folks such as me and my neighbors.

So let’s set the scene:

I live in Poland. We have no better “citizen of the year” candidate for us than Susan McAfee.

If you don’t remember her, she was the feisty citizen who found a roll of stamps outside the Poland post office and wanted to return them to the proper owner.

But she did not trust the post office to do it properly (and not pocket them instead). So she insisted the post office have the victim call her. That didn’t go over well with the post office, so they called the cops on the 75-year-old, and Susan was encouraged to — she would say strong-armed into — returning the stamps to the post office. Look up the rest of the story on Vindy.com.

That’s Poland.

The lawns are meticulously groomed with nail clippers. The kids are all 5.0 students. And 5:30 a.m. jogs are part of home- purchasing rules.

That’s the subdivision next to me.

In my subdivision, we just have an issue with fast drivers.

The main road in our subdivision twists and winds like I-680 around downtown Youngstown. And often, neighbors drive like they are on I-680.

In my three-plus years here (true — I’m not a Polander by birth, but a Polander only through the blessed sympathy of my neighbors), many a cross word or finger have been directed at those drivers.

Well, the speedway might now cease because on Wednesday, two stop signs grew from the grass. They were placed halfway into that 680ish stretch.

Civility will now have a chance to be restored. No longer will my neighbors have to resort to surly gestures that “those people use” in Boardman or, gasp, Canfield.

That’s where distress comes in. See, some of my neighbors, who hate the speeders and the uncivil gestures they entice, also hate the stop signs. One neighbor actually cussed, believe it or not, at the signs.

To ask “Why?” brings this tale back to Susan McAfee and her distrust for government types and the feeling of being strong-armed.

We have 100ish homes in our subdivision.

Due to its layout, perhaps 25 homes will carry the brunt of the new stop signs each day.

When significant product changes come about to say, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, NBC, etc. — they survey thousands of people across thousands of miles to understand consumer impact.

That’s unnecessary in Poland.

The stop signs were approved in June and installed this week. Not once — leading up to the June approval or their installation — did the township leaders seek to engage the 25 taxpayers in a discussion about the stop signs.

Note that, in golf terms, the stop signs sit about a driver away — possibly a 3-wood if the wind is out of the south — from the township hall.

No fliers on the door. No letter home. No door-to-door neighborhood walk through. Nothing. Like Nike — they just did it.

I called about the signs, and our township supervisor, a cheery Jim Scharville, turned me over to Police Chief Brian Goodin.

While I made it clear I actually liked the stop signs, I asked about the process, as that will be the undoing of this deed, based on my neighbors’ comments.

State guidelines suggest that stop signs should be used sparingly due to costs associated to motorists. But if you’re to put one in, the state advisory continues, an engineering study is suggested.

For our new stop signs, the township acted on “a resident request,” said the chief.

He said it’s just a sign in the ground, and as people adjust to it, it’s open for discussion about its future existence.

Neighborhood discussion is a great idea, I suggested, but couldn’t discussion have been employed going into the June meeting or the October planting? The chief acknowledged that it could have.

The irony of the timing and the process is that in less than a month, Poland Township is asking residents to buck up at the polls for about $200,000 more annually.

Mr. Scharville even reminded me of that vote as he transferred my call over to the chief.

There are at least 25 homeowners, I would guess, more thankful than a week ago to at least have a voice in this decision.