The mystery surrounding missing signs in Gilpin has been solved.

This month, Gilpin officials and the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department reported multiple business signs missing from properties throughout the township.

Supervisor Charles Stull took to social media Feb. 17, posting about what he described as a “strange” crime on the township’s Facebook page. The theft included signs for Leechburg Pizza Co., Stump Grinding and Boulder Landscaping & Tree Services.

All of the signs were removed from properties in Gilpin.

Courtesy of Steve Senjan Yard signs advertising businesses throughout Gilpin were reported stolen this month. Camera footage revealed PennDOT was behind their removal.  

Video security footage supplied to Gilpin officials a few days later by a local business owner revealed the signs were removed by PennDOT employees.

In the footage, a male Penn­DOT employee can be seen removing them, Stull said.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time PennDOT has done a right of way sweep in the township in my five years as a supervisor,” Stull said.

PennDOT District 10 spokeswoman Christina Gibbs confirmed Wednesday the signs were removed by an employee because they were encroaching on state rights of way.

According to a PennDOT release: “Federal regulations and Pennsylvania state law prohibit certain advertising signage within the right-of-way, including but not limited to yard sale, political, Realtor, business or event signage. Signs may not be attached to light, signal or utility poles, guide rails or traffic signs.”

A right-of-way applies to state roads, land purchased by PennDOT on which a highway is built, the shoulder and berms, plus any additional area needed for highway purposes.

It often is 33 feet wide in total (from one side of the road to the other) but can be wider — more than 120 feet in some instances — the release said.

“It is a huge challenge to try and patrol every state roadway and all of the signage,” Gibbs said. “Sometimes metal signs pose challenges and clutter up the right-of way, distract drivers and can impede vision.”

Gibbs said PennDOT is on a statewide “push” to clear improperly placed signs from right-of-ways. The move is the result of a poor showing a few years back during a federal inspection of the Highway Beautification Management System’s roads, she added.

“A few years ago, (federal inspectors) went throughout parts of Pennsylvania and found some right-of-ways riddled with signs. We were told to do better,” Gibbs said, adding that federal funding can be withheld if the state-maintained roads are not in compliance.

Each PennDOT district has employees who travel throughout their respective counties looking for right-of-way violations.

In District 10, an employee based out of Indiana County patrols state roads in Butler, Armstrong, Indiana, Clarion and Jefferson counties.

PennDOT District 11 and 12 press officers Steve Cowan and Melissa Maczko, respectively, provided written information from the PennDOT communications office confirming that PennDOT is developing additional resources to educate stakeholders about their responsibility under law to remove unauthorized signs from right-of-way areas.

“By removing unauthorized signs from the right-of-way, PennDOT protects the safety of the traveling public by reducing roadway distractions and improving sight distance at intersections. PennDOT is required by law to remove unauthorized signs in the right-of-way on state roadways and is currently reinforcing this through statewide training for applicable staff,” PennDOT communication officials said.

Leechburg Pizza Co. co-owner Steve Senjan objected to the removal of his signs and had a message for PennDOT.

“PennDOT needs to get the tape measure out. Those signs were not in the right of way,” Senjan said. “They were on private property whose permission I had to place them there. PennDOT should focus on making the roads in this area drivable and leave our signs alone.”

All removed signs are held for 30 days at the nearest PennDOT maintenance office. If unclaimed after that time, they are thrown out.

Senjan said he plans to retrieve his signs, but he’s not giving up.

“I will be putting them back up and measuring the right-of-way,” Senjan said.

Stull noted PennDOT did not inform any township official or business owner of their right-of-way sweep.

“While I understand their justification, better notice to the township, the businesses or the property owners would be appreciated. It was unfortunate the township had to find the cause of missing signs via camera footage,” Stull said.

The issue of signs on rights-of-way resulted in a two-day trial in Westmoreland County against Gary J. English, a former Franklin Regional School Board member, who was acquitted of sign theft charges.

A jury deliberated less than 30 minutes Jan. 19 before finding English not guilty of stealing political signs from Hempfield roadways.

English, a Murrysville resident, recently penned an editorial to the Trib, saying he exercised his civic duty to clean what (signs) the state and local governments would not.

For more information about PennDOT’s outdoor advertising control program, to retrieve signs or to get specific locations of a right-of-way, call PennDOT District 10 at 724-357-2800 or go online to https://www.penndot.pa.gov/RegionalOffices.

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