Gaywood Road Signage Problem

Enough already, say the residents of Gaywood Road who are darned tired of getting their street signs nabbed by pranksters humored by the name.

The fourth custom-made green wooden sign with fancy white letters disappeared over the holidays. With new signs costing $600 a pop, neighbors aren't laughing anymore.

Residents on Gaywood Road in Alamo -- and on Gaywood Place in Moraga, where street signs also have been stolen -- like their street name and wouldn't have it any other way. They want no such name change and are bemused by those captivated by the word "gay."

"At first we made a joke out of it, and everybody pitched in to buy a new sign," said 10-year Alamo resident Linda Buschmeyer. "Then, it wasn't so funny the second time on. It is kind of a personal insult."

Right now, the close-knit neighborhood of eight households is deciding what to do next. They may just stencil the street name on two posts.

"It's getting too expensive. We are kind of done with this game," said 14-year Alamo resident Anne Herzog.

Residents living on Gaywood Road are responsible for the street signs because they live on a private road in an unincorporated area. And street signs are mandatory for public safety identification purposes.

"Right now, we have to tell the UPS driver to look for the white fire hydrant. That is the landmark," Buschmeyer said.

It started three years ago, when the first hand-crafted sign disappeared on Christmas break and the second one on spring break. Pranksters not only filched the signs, but also pulled out the post on which they were mounted.

Buschmeyer said a mail carrier found the second sign hanging out of a pickup truck with a chain attached while on his rounds. The young vandals were identified, and the family had to pay for a new sign. The old one was returned cracked and splintered.

Sign No. 3 lasted for three years, then it disappeared in early January. The old cracked sign was put up in its place, and it too disappeared this month.

Gaywood Place in Moraga has seen similar sign-napping, said resident Ron Francis.

"Our sign disappeared a while back and we were thinking of calling the town," Francis said. "Then we noticed last week there was a new sign put up."

The Town of Moraga is responsible for replacing signs on its streets.

A much bigger flap took place 15 years ago on Gay Court in Alamo. A group of residents pebreastioned the county to have the street name changed to High Eagle Road. On a Sunday that May, things got ugly with confrontations between a gay rights group that turned out to protest and some neighbors. The Board of Supervisors approved the change, but not without reservations.

If Alamo's Gaywood sign turns up, it could be returned to the sheriff's substation in Alamo Plaza.

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Heh.

Dave Hogan