Stillwater authorizes downtown four-way stop conversions

The Stillwater City Council and Stillwater Utilities Authority approved a combined $173,000 Monday to complete the conversion of three downtown intersections from traffic signals to four-way stop signs with enhanced lighting and signage.

The council approved $88,000 to finalize improvements at the intersections of South Main street at 7th, 8th and 9th avenues. The Utilities Authority separately approved $85,000 from the Electric Rate Stabilization Fund for Stillwater Electric to remove the existing traffic signals and install pedestrian-scale street lights at the same locations.

The improvements mark the next phase of a downtown traffic management overhaul that began in May 2025 when the city temporarily converted four signalized intersections to all-way flashing red lights as a trial for potential four-way stop conversions.

From traffic signals to stop signs

The trial addressed concerns about pedestrian safety and traffic flow along Main Street. The signal timing created delays for vehicles traveling across downtown, and the conversion aimed to improve both vehicular movement and reduce wait times for pedestrians crossing the street.

But the idea of converting the intersections has been discussed for far longer.

Roger Gose, a member of the city's Transportation Project Advisory Committee and downtown property owner, said he and a former city manager discussed the concept over a decade ago.

"I was driving across San Francisco and found out how easy it was to go across town of stop signs," Gose said. "Dan Blankenship and I talked about this probably 15 years ago or however long was, about how much delay there was in east-west traffic because of the timing on the lights."

TPAC, established in 2022 following voter approval of a 10-year, 1% transportation sales tax, provides citizen oversight and advises the City Council on infrastructure projects funded by the tax. The committee recommended the downtown intersection trial.

"The reason I encourage[d] TPAC, it's to get local people, not just city employees, involved in the decisions of where the money was going to be spent and what was important," Gose said.

At a December 2025 meeting, city officials recommended making the conversions permanent at three of the four intersections while continuing to evaluate options for the intersection at 10th and Main, which features a roundabout.

Bill Millis, director of engineering, told the council Monday that staff would return with cost estimates for 10th and Main, including options to either rehabilitate the existing roundabout or convert it to a four-way stop like the other intersections.

The approved improvements include LED-enhanced decorative stop signs, pedestrian-scale street lights to replace the existing traffic signals, new stop bars painted on the pavement, refreshed striping and pedestrian crossing signs.

"Essentially the same at all three intersections, LED enhanced decorative stop signs, removing existing traffic signals and replacing them with pedestrian-scale street lights, adding stop legends in advance of the stop bars, refreshing the striping, and installing the pedestrian signs, which has already been done," Millis said.

Gose said he supported the final design.

"I think it's a really nice design that staff has come up with," Gose said. "I was happy with the flashing reds, but most people didn't know how to handle it."

Millis noted that Stillwater Electric plans to install the lights in-house to reduce costs. He also said street patching work has begun at the Eighth and Ninth avenue intersections.

Concerns about LED brightness

Councilor Tim Hardin raised concerns about the brightness of the LED flashing stop signs planned for the intersections, referencing other locations in the city where similar signs are highly visible from long distances.

"Some of those around town are so bright you can see them from miles away," Hardin said. "I think of the stop signs out around the New Catholic Church. You can see those from 19th Street, which is amazingly bright."

Hardin said he supported stop signs and flashing lights but worried about their visual impact on the downtown aesthetic.

"We've done a lot of work to make our downtown area look nice, including with Block 34 and all kinds of things," Hardin said. "I just would hate to think that we're going to have these giant flashing stop signs that would detract, I think, from the looks of our downtown area."

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Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski asked whether staff could compare the light output in lumens to other downtown lighting, such as the fixtures around Block 34, to ensure consistency.

Millis said the signs can be dimmed and suggested staff could obtain samples to review before installation.

"That's a good starting point of comparison by lumens, but also maybe we just want to see if we can get a sample," Millis said. "It can be hard to compare lumens on paper to what they really look like when they're out there."

City Manager Brady Moore acknowledged the concern and said staff had prioritized safety when evaluating vendors but ensured dimmable capability was included in the specifications.

"It's great input," Moore said. "And I think, as we discussed on the 15th in December, safety was the priority of this conversion. So staff was erring on the side of safety. We've been using the flashing reds. We wanted to bring that same safety component to these four-way stops. I agree with Councilor Hardin. I've seen those stop signs out on Country Club Road, and they are quite bright. So I know that it was a priority when they were selecting the vendor that dimmable was a key component."

The council voted 4-0 to approve the project and associated budget amendment.

New appointments to financial oversight committee

The council also appointed Daniel Thrasher to his first term on the city's audit committee and reappointed Randy Murray to a third term.

The audit committee oversees the city's annual financial audits, which review the city's compliance with federal grant requirements, internal financial controls and fiscal accountability. The committee works with independent auditors who examine the city's financial statements and test compliance with regulations governing federal programs.

Councilor Kevin Clark, who serves on the audit committee, thanked outgoing member Kelly Cox for nearly two decades of service.

"The reason there's an opening for Daniel Thrasher to fill is because Kelly Cox is stepping down after 18 years serving on our audit committee," Clark said. "About 15 of those, we can't nail it down for sure, he was the chairman of that committee. And I just want to express my appreciation to Kelly for almost two decades of serving our community for free in a very important role, auditing and going through the process of making sure that our finances are in order."

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