Answer Man: Who's responsible for maintaining street sign in Woodfin? Will it be replaced?

Today's burning question is about a missing street sign in Woodfin, and what can be done to replace it. Got a question for Answer Man or Answer Woman? Email Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.

Question: I own a business in Woodfin and the street sign at the intersection of Woodfin Avenue and Riverside Drive has been missing for over a year, making it difficult for new clients to find my office. I have reported it twice to the Woodfin police department, but nothing has happened. Anything you can do to get this sign replaced would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: I reached out to several organizations across Buncombe County and the state in search of an answer to this question. In short, while the intersecting roads in question are maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the sign itself is the responsibility of the town of Woodfin, which will be replacing it within the next several weeks.

As for why this sign hasn’t been replaced until now, it appears that the issue wasn’t due to negligence; rather, the issue seems to be that there wasn’t a general consensus on who was responsible for it in the first place.

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While the intersection of Woodfin Avenue and Riverside Drive, where the missing sign was previously located, is within the town limits of Woodfin, neither road is on the list of streets maintained by the town. I contacted Johnny Brooks, public works director for the town of Woodfin, who confirmed this information and said that both roads are maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

“We get a lot of calls about that intersection, and all we can do is pass it along to NCDOT,” Brooks wrote in an email.

I subsequently reached out to NCDOT and spoke with David Uchiyama, communications officer for NCDOT Division 13, where Buncombe County is located, and Division 14. After explaining the issue in question and providing an image of the sign captured on Google Earth prior to its disappearance, I was provided with a further reference.

“NCDOT recommends that you contact the office of Buncombe County Fire Marshal Kevin Tipton,” Uchiyama wrote in an email following our conversation.

Following this, I contacted the fire marshal’s office and received a response from Buncombe County Public Relations Coordinator Kassi Day, who provided an answer on behalf of the office.

“The Town of Woodfin is responsible for the sign in question,” Day wrote in an email. “The Buncombe County Fire Marshal’s office does not replace street name signs inside any municipality. We are only responsible for unincorporated Buncombe County street name signs. We would refer customers to the published phone number for the local Town Hall or Public Works of the respective jurisdiction.”

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This absence of clarity regarding which organization had jurisdiction over the intersection and its missing sign had made it challenging for affected business owners to get the sign replaced. I spoke with Stellar Counseling Services owner Christy Gunther, who submitted the original question. According to her, this is not the first time Woodfin Avenue has gone without a sign since she established her business at its current location in 2008.

“A few years ago, we were without a sign and we called different places trying to get it replaced,” Gunther said. “It took over a year for it to be replaced, so I didn't really know who to contact other than notifying the police, and I just assumed that they would know.”

Gunther said this has been a source of frustration for her and other business owners in Woodfin Wellness, the center where her practice is located, as the missing sign has made it challenging for new clients to find their building.

“Anytime we have a new client that's coming to see one of the practitioners in the building, we have to explain that there's no sign there, we’re adjacent to the new Silver-Line Park, and even doing that, they still drive right past it and then they're late to their appointment,” Gunther said.

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Regarding this issue over jurisdiction, Buncombe County Fire Marshal Kevin Tipton ultimately reached out to Woodfin Town Manager Shannon Tuch, who reached out to me via email to provide clarification.

“I’ve had the opportunity to speak with our colleagues at Buncombe County and it has been agreed that municipalities are responsible for street signs within their jurisdiction, even if it is a state-maintained road,” Tuch wrote in an email.

Tuch also established that the town would be replacing the sign very shortly.

“I’ve checked in with our Public Works director and we’ll be able to replace the sign in approximately 1-2 weeks allowing time for manufacturing,” Tuch wrote.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Answer Man: Who's responsible for maintaining street sign in Woodfin?