MORENCI — New signs that tell drivers their current speed are due to be installed soon in Morenci.
Last month, the Morenci City Council approved the purchase of two solar-powered speed monitoring signs to be placed on both ends of Main Street. City clerk and superintendent Jeff Bell said they should be in place by the end of September.
Bell said the city currently has two LED signs that display the speed of vehicles approaching them, and one of them needs a new battery.
“To replace the battery is more than the cost of a new sign,” he said at the August council meeting.
The new signs will have solar panels, allowing them to be installed permanently, while the current signs need to be pulled out of service every few days to have their batteries charged.
“They have to be taken down, recharged and reinstalled,” Bell said. “They last about two days before they’re dead again.”
The signs will be purchased from Elancity, which also provides the LED signs that are used in Lyons, Ohio. Council member Kori Christle commented that the signs in Lyons are very effective.
Council member Dave Lonis agreed that the signs have a positive impact on speeding, and suggested that it might be a good idea to include a few more signs in next year’s budget.