Curb Painting Questions Splash Up in Eureka

Any Eureka resident who recently received a flier about painting home addresses onto individual street curbs for $10 each may want to know it was not a city-funded or city-authorized endeavor. The service, designed to aid emergency responders in finding residences during incidences, was being offered by a private individual.

Painter Brett Crawford addressed Eureka's board of aldermen at Tuesday's board meeting to explain the project, answer questions and ask for permission to finish the curb assignments he had secured.

Ward 3 alderman Don Beckerle said many residents questioned the validity of the service, with the flier containing no name or phone numbers for contacting.

Mayor Kevin Coffey said he received inquiries about who or what company was really performing the service. "I think some people were concerned because they didn't know who they were dealing with."

A discussion among aldermen, city attorney Kathy Butler and city administrator Craig Sabo pursued regarding how the project aligned with the city's no-solicitation law. Sabo said it didn't technically violate the ordinance because Crawford wasn't knocking on doors and calling on neighbors. A flier was a non-direct offering, of sorts. But Butler thought twice about the portion of Crawford's interaction to return to homes to pick up the fliers and exchange fees for services rendered. 

City officials eventually asked Crawford to update the flier and share it with city staffers prior to any other distributions.

The address numbers reportedly are 4-inches high, with black letters on white, rectangular backgrounds.

Eureka Fire Marshal Scott Mullins, Eureka Fire Protection District, tells Patch the fire district's ordinances and codes are very clear, however—addresses need to be placed on the actual houses and buildings, not on curbs.

The other main discussion point from Tuesday's meeting was that Crawford's remaining painting agreements were located in The Legends, which are private streets. He was directed to contact the various homeowners associations that managed the different portions of The Legends subdivision to gain permission from them before proceeding.