UPDATE
https://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/sun-prairie-finally-will-aid-deaf-child/
The City of Sun Prairie continues to show total lack of accountability tonight for the safety of a deaf child. Yesterday I posted a blog entry about the refusal of this Wisconsin community to put a street sign up in the neighborhood where a deaf child lives. Public Works Director Larry Herman says the city should not be in the business of placing such signs, and also stated that the sign would cost $200.00. His last point about the money makes him out to be utterly foolish in light of the need for the sign.
Foolish that is, until one hears what Sun Prairie did today. Mount Horeb, a picturesque community in southern Wisconsin, offered to give one of their deaf street signs to Sun Prairie, but the offer was refused. WTF! Mount Horeb had installed their sign years ago (at no cost) for a child that no longer requires it, but the good deed was utterly rejected. Just what is wrong in Sun Prairie?
Sun Prairie Mayor Joe Chase said that this whole issue is a good policy debate. Wrong! This is the worst example of bureaucratic bullshit that I have witnessed in a very long time. There is no need for a ‘policy debate’ as this is a simple common sense, up and down, black and white, good and bad case that should have never even been questioned for its necessity. The taxpayers in Sun Prairie should be outraged at the callous and cold-blooded efficiency that is being cloaked as good government by Mayor Chase and Mr. Herman.
The public reaction is of course running counter to the wishes of Herman and Chase. A local Madison radio station raised money for the sign today, WKOW-TV Channel 27 who broke this story has been inundated with calls, and my blog post has been bombarded with readers. All this reaction makes me feel deep down that the Scrooges in Sun Prairie government are going to have to capitulate.
One would think we are talking about a major loss of tax revenue that would result in chaos and madness in Sun Prairie. In reality we are talking about a piece of metal hung on a street pole that indicate to drivers that a small deaf child lives in the neighborhood, and would appreciate it if we might be mindful of that fact as she can’t hear the traffic.
Mr. Chase and Mr. Herman need to reflect on not only how infantile their objections to the sign are, but also what damage they have done to their community. You know, the community that pays their salaries.
Technorati Tags: SunPrairie, Wisconsin, Deaf, LarryHerman, JoeChase
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
I wonder do they have curb cuts in Sun Prairie for wheelchairs, or don’t they care about people with those sorts of disabilities either?
I had a friend that was killed by a train in Mississippi. The town thought it was to much money to put warning lights or a rail guard. Businesses along the track though did plant trees to muffle the sound of the trains going by. My friend drove on to the track without ever seeing what was coming. Sad thing. He was the 6th accident that year in the state. The arguement should not be, “how much is the sign?” it should be “how much is a life?”
with regards to your editorial on this sitchiation, this article below seems to fill in a little background:
1. Greg said, “A taxpaying family in Sun Prairie has a child who is deaf. In order to make the child’s neighborhood safer, the family asked the city to place a sign on their block where they live to alert motorists to the deaf child. The city public works office said no!”
there’s no mention of the father, two different surnames on 3 kids by a 24 year old, 2 in 11 months. rather than a taxpayer, sounds like a professional baby machine
2. the kid the sign is requested for is 1 year old, an unsteady walker now, so what is the emergency? does the mother want to let the kids in the courtyard to play while she entertains? I would think for the next 5 years any child would be accompanied by her outside the apartment, especially one with a disability. Otherwise, invest in a leash.
3. signs such as this are feel-good measures which give people an unwarranted sense of security. they are akin to neighborhoods who want a stop sign or light on every corner with the result that people learn to blow through stop signs or there are more accidents caused at stop light intersections. $$ is better spent on enforcement rather than cluttering up lawns with ineffective signs.
4. If they put up the sign they should change the name of the city to Nanny Prairie
Deaf child sign creates tempest
KEN SINGLETARY 608-252-6159
April 18, 2007
SUN PRAIRIE – When Cary Murphy asked the city of Sun Prairie a couple of weeks ago to put up a traffic sign for her deaf daughter, she had no idea it would set off such a controversy.
But that’s what happened when city officials said they wanted to consider her request rather than simply put up a sign. The resulting tempest has put both Murphy and Mayor Joe Chase in the spotlight in a way neither anticipated.
“I don’t have a clue about any of this stuff,” Murphy said. “I’m a 24-year-old kid with three kids.”
Murphy is the mother of Natiya Ballard, who turns 1 today. She’s also the mother of Malakai Murphy, 4, and 1-month-old Dezirae Murphy. Cary Murphy, who is looking for a job, was born in Portage but has lived in Sun Prairie on and off since 1991 and considers the city her hometown.
Natiya was born deaf, Murphy said. In all other respects, she said, Natiya is a “typical 1 year old” who has been walking for about a month and a half, though she’s “not real sturdy” yet.
When Murphy asked the city to put up a “deaf child’ sign near her house at 301 Sweet Grass Drive, officials hesitated because they wanted to review their procedures in such a case and because they knew traffic experts believe such signs aren’t always effective.
Chase said he would have ordered a sign if he thought the situation was urgent.
“I didn’t take any immediate action on it because it was not an emergency,” he said. “In the event of an emergency, I would have made a decision right away.”
Instead, Chase decided to let city staff and the City Council take a look at the question.
And that’s where area media came in. Murphy’s story has appeared on local TV news broadcasts and it has been fodder for radio talk shows. Casey Hoff, who has talked about Murphy’s quandary on his show on WTDY-AM (1670), plans to broadcast from Murphy’s front yard this morning.
The resulting spotlight has flummoxed both Murphy and Chase.
“I really just wish they would just put up this stupid sign and let it go away,” Murphy said.
“It’s an emotional issue, and if we offer rational information to the public, they consider us to be irrational by not taking an immediate stance on this,” Chase said.
Part of what’s making Chase pause is what traffic experts say. Such signs cause drivers to slow down in the short term, said Matt Rauch, a signing engineer with the state Department of Transportation. But “over time, motorists will tend to ignore the sign and, as a result, the sign will lose its effectiveness,” he said.
The worry is that such signs “would send a false sense of security to parents and the children that motorists are going to watch out for them when there’s a likelihood they won’t watch out for them,” Rauch said.
The solution, he said, could be for police to enforce speed limits or to increase visibility by removing obstructions, such as vegetation or parked vehicles.
The Sun Prairie Police Department began measuring the speed of traffic on Sweet Grass Drive on Monday morning. The results won’t be available until after the study is finished Friday, said Rem Brandt, a police spokesman.
Meanwhile, the City Council is looking into the matter. The council’s Public Works Committee held a hearing on April 11, where about 20 people – including Murphy – spoke, both for and against the city’s stance.
“I choked because I didn’t know what to say,” Murphy said.
The council will consider the question next, though it has yet to be scheduled. Chase said he expects that will happen soon.
“What’s rational, what would be prudent in this particular case is if we set up a policy where we make sure it’s a good policy in the future,” Chase said.
Before you go making untrue accusations about this sign you should probably get the facts straight. The city refused to put up the sign not because of money but because the signs were deemed ineffective by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. All children are risks to run out into the road, not just deaf children. If the city gave in to this woman’s requests, that would set the standard of giving out signs to anyone who asked. Soon signs whould take over the city and be even more ineffective. Actually, I want a sign for my child because even though he doesn’t have a disablity, he may still run out into the road. Maybe the mother should worry about being a responsible parent like the rest of the parents in the world and not make an issue out of nothing. And, lastly, how often do people honestly slow down and use caution when they see a deaf child sign… Never.
The facts are quite clear as I, WKOW TV, local radio, and bloggers have presented them, thank you. The City of Sun Prairie seems to think that they are unique to the needs of a deaf child. Other surrounding communities, such as Madison and Mount Horeb have the signs, paid the small price and have the same DOT info that you all are now just trying to pull together.
For you or others to try and paint this mother as not responsible is so off base….SHE IS THE ONE TAKING THE LEAD TO MAKE SURE THE CHILD IS SAFE!
Finally for the notion that no one drives with caution around such signs….well you found one here who does….and my partner does the same…my father who I learned about driving from has done so for 84 years….most caring drivers do. Granted we are not the SUV drivers who care only about themselves on the roads but I would think most folks drive and follow the road laws. I suspect you are speaking more about your own driving habits than about the issue at hand.
If not then the cops can do the same as with any other violation and issue tickets.
To pretend that Sun Prairie is not up to their eyesballs in deservedly bad PR, and on the wrong side of this issue is most remarkable to me. To blame the mother is rich indeed! Seems I am in the majority on this one.
Deaf children are not helpless invalids. They are normal people that can not hear. Not being able to hear does not effect their ability to see or take responsibility for themselves. If they are young, an adult should be around to watch out for them (same as hearing children). If they are old enough to play without adult supervision, they are old enough to watch out for cars (same as hearing children). We can trust Deaf children to have the same self responsibility as any hearing child. In addition, Deaf children do not need the stigma associated with a sign that singles them out and implies they are incapable of taking care of themselves. Lastly, the signs have been shown not to slow motorists down. The issue is a non-issue; those signs are ridiculous.
In case you did not hear…and hoping you never have a deaf child.
We had two signs on our street “Deaf Child Area”. Now the signs got stolen. Many people can not stand the word “Deaf” like it’s some kind of alien. The best thing to do is get a sign that says Slow down Children playing which implies for all children – hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf. They should all be treated equal and be safe. Good luck!