DAGSBORO – The consensus of Dagsboro town leaders is too many hoops is not a good sign.

So, Dagsboro’s town council has nixed efforts to replace a highway-median gateway sign toppled during a recent storm. The sign was based in the grass median north of the SR 26/US 113 intersection.

Citing rules, restrictions and mandates required by the Delaware Department of Transportation, council members Patrick Miller, Norwood Truitt, William Chandler III and Mayor Brian Baull at the Monday, Nov. 19 meeting voted to not replace the sign and just “let it go by the wayside.”

“It is going to get very expensive,” said Dagsboro Town Administrator Cindi Brought prior to council’s decision. “We have to use their recommended materials. You have to hire your own flagging crew.”

Additionally, Ms. Brought said she was recently informed by DelDOT that “we will probably even have to close down the highway while they install the sign.”

“It is making me feel like they really do not want these signs out there. They’d rather see them gone. It is going to be a lengthy and expensive procedure to put that sign up,” said Ms. Brought.

“We can leave the one (on the south side) alone and they can’t touch it because it is grandfathered.

“But we can’t re-install the other sign without their permission. There is a lot to it. There are so many restrictions.”

“I don’t feel strongly about this frankly one way or the other,” said Mr. Chandler. “But the prospect of spending a lot of time and money, I don’t have much of an appetite for that, putting Cindi and the staff through that, the chief (Dagsboro Police Chief Floyd Toomey) and everyone else that probably will have to get involved.”

“But for lovers of history and tradition and so forth I can understand why they would feel differently than me. Right now, I just don’t feel strongly. I don’t feel like it is worth it,” said Mr. Chandler.

The lengthy process was outlined in a correspondence from Jay Sammons, roadside control agent for DelDOT’s South District.

“At least what he has got on here, a 10-step process that you have to do. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through,” said Mayor Baull. “I think at this point we have one have one (sign). We still have the other side.”

“Royal Farms, once they get on that side which is the side that we are talking about, will they (motorists) even notice that sign with all the signage that Royal Farms is going to have illuminated, etc.?” said Chief Toomey.

“It sounds like they want you to jump through way too many hoops to make this happen,” said Mayor Baull. “I agree … that they pretty much – without telling you they don’t want you to put it back out there – they basically told you they don’t want you to put it back out there.”