Abandoned yard sale signs drive council member crazy

An abandoned yard sale sign on the southwest corner of Herndon and Sunnyside avenues in Clovis. (Photo by Ron Sundquist)

Clovis council member Lynne Ashbeck has embarked on a personal journey to eradicate abandoned yard sale signs hanging on street corners. She calls it her “personal crusade.”

“People don’t remember to go back and take down their signs,” Ashbeck said. “At one corner, there must have been 10 signs – a realtor and yards signs on the pole.”

In addition to causing clutter in the streets, Ashbeck said these signs can be costly when they are not taken down quickly.

“My concern is that it costs taxpayer money for the city to go and take them down,” she said. “It’s just a simple request. If people have a sale, they need to take them down, so that our corners are not littered with all these neon colored signs of sales that have long passed.”

Sometimes, Ashbeck will take up on herself to take down the signs. But now she is finding it more difficult to do so.

“I will stop and take them down myself, but now people are using zip ties, so I can’t take those down unless I have wire cutters or something,” Ashbeck said. “It doesn’t look good. It’s a little thing, but I have learned over the years that the little things add up and make a big difference in the community.”

Ashbeck said she recently saw another yard sale on Clovis and Shaw Avenues, which “pushed her over the edge.”

“Somebody took a picture of six dining room chairs that they were selling and it was on the median island pole with those wired ties. I couldn’t get it down,” she said. “I hope you sold those chairs, but I wish you would take those signs down.”

She adds that there is not much the city can do about the signs, but people just have to take the responsibility.

“It’s the simplest way to clean up a neighborhood. Take your own sign down,” she said. “I have thought about taking them down and mailing it to them as a reminder for them to take it down. I believe people in Clovis want to live in a tidy community, so it’s just a reminder to take their signs down.”

Tomas Kassahun: Tomas has been with us since 2016. His willingness to always step up to the plate and his diversity in reporting is what makes him special to us. Whether it is sports, city council meetings, board meetings, profiles, or breaking news - this guy can do it all.
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