Supervisors OK addition of speed feedback sign just north of State Center

After previously agreeing to reduce the speed limit on Eastman Avenue entering State Center from the north due to a serious accident where a vehicle ran into and destroyed a house on the edge of town, the Marshall County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the addition of a speed feedback sign in the same area just outside of city limits during Wednesday morning's regular meeting.

County Engineer Paul Geilenfeldt said a consultant the city of State Center hired to do a study recommended the sign, which is not Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) but does tell drivers how fast they are traveling and flash if they are over the speed limit. Going off a quote from State Center Police Chief Jon Thomas, Geilenfeldt said the total cost was around $3,400 with the county installing it and the city running electricity to it.

"They're becoming more and more common. We don't have any speed feedback signs yet, but there's been a few places where we've considered, you know, that they could be valuable," Geilenfeldt said. "This is not an automated ticket sign. This is just a sign to give feedback to the driver that they are exceeding the speed limit and flashes lights and gives them their speed. And so it's just a warning safety feature that we can add to that intersection."

Board Chairman Jarret Heil compared it to a similar sign on Church Street in Marshalltown. In response to a question from Supervisor Steve Salasek, Geilenfeldt provided clarification on where exactly it would be located and said it would be about 1,000 feet north of the approach to the intersection with 230th Street/7th Street Northwest at the city limits.

Existing funds in the secondary roads budget would cover the cost, Geilenfeldt said, and Supervisor Carol Hibbs then made a motion to approve the installation of the sign as presented. Heil reiterated as a point of further clarification that it would not issue tickets but simply remind drivers if they are speeding in an effort to protect citizens. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

During a subsequent interview, Thomas gave his full endorsement of the plan.

"A speed feedback sign will give awareness to drivers that they're entering an area where there's more cross traffic and more potential conflicts. This will make our community safer," he said.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.