Pinal Today

The City of Maricopa is looking into setting possible parameters for roadside monuments placed by residents in memory of loved ones lost in traffic accidents.

The City is exploring ways to standardize things such as size, design, materials and installation of the mini-monuments, but officials say they want more input from residents.

“We need feedback from the public on what their preferences are,” Mayor Nancy Smith said in a story from inMaricopa.com. "It’s a sensitive issue, and it’s important to us.”

Code Enforcement supervisor Wes Moss highlighted possible standards for the new markers, which would be made of aluminum and installed by the Traffic Operations Division. Markers would likely be approximately 15 inches in diameter and installed 36-42 inches above the ground. Although there will be no restrictions on where markers can be placed, he noted that markers not fitting the specifications will not last long.

“Any memorial markers installed without approval or are out of compliance will be allowed to stand for no more than 21 days,” Moss said. “If the markers are identified as hazardous in any way they will be removed immediately. City staff will make an effort to contact the parties involved and return the markers that were placed.”

Smith commented that the reason the City wants more input is to come up with a standard for roadside monuments that makes the process simple and meaningful.

“We want to provide residents with a safe and respectful means to remember their loved ones,” she said. “The application process will be a short, one-page application that will be available on the city website.”

The cost to purchase a marker from the City would be $300, including a year of maintenance, followed by a fee of $50 to maintain the markers each year thereafter, Smith said.

“I’ve lost really important people in my life,” she said. “One year after is not enough. It needs to be two, three, four or five years."

The mayor emphasized that getting a marker from the City will not make the process impersonal.

"The city will have options for people to choose from," she said. "Whatever we come up with, I think we need to have the ability to have criteria that allows someone to design their own or at least have a menu to choose from to make it more personal.”

Although many people will not like paying maintenance fees, other members of the City Council agreed that leaving monuments up longer is important.

“I know first-year anniversary of something like this is often very significant to the family and loved ones,” Councilmember Amber Liermann said. “I agree with (Councilmember Bob) Marsh that one year is a little short in time, so maybe two or three years or longer to honor the loss of that family’s loved one.”

City Manager Rick Horst noted that some uniformity is needed with roadside markers for the sake of traffic.

“We want to be respectful of those who may have passed in a road incident and/or road related incident,” he said. “But at the same time, some of these markers are now encroaching on the rights of way, some of them are impairing lines of sight and some are actually in utility easements where construction work is done routinely. In some cases, they are now putting in lights and they are distracting at night.”

Horst also agreed that finding a way to make markers consistent while remaining personal was a key.

“Our goal here is to provide an opportunity for those who want to have a long-lasting memorial…to present a uniform way in which that can be done,” he said.

In some cases, the city can step in and clean up older monuments, Horst added.

“Many of them in town are in the way of construction growth and have to be removed,” he said. “Some of them were placed many months or years ago and have been long forgotten. Others have been placed years ago but have not been forgotten and it’s obvious that people still tend to them from time to time. It’s a way of bringing a unified, respectful way to recognize and remember those people.”