BELTON - Easy Street and Texas Lane continue to share an uncommon bond as residents living on both streets have reached out to Bell County, asking them not to change the street names.

Bell County contacted residents last month to notify them the county was considering changing the street names because the street signs proved too popular among thieves.

Easy Street has been replaced seven times in the past two years and Texas Lane has been replaced 13 times in less than four years.

On Monday, Richard Macchi, county engineer, notified county commissioners about a letter sent by Paul Meyer, a resident on Texas Lane, in which he agreed to be responsible for the upkeep and replacement of the sign.

“Due to all the problems this would cause the tenants living on the road I want to retain this name,” he wrote.

Residents on Easy Street were set to receive a final notice it would be changed to Stillman Valley Spur, when David Preddy called Macchi and told him he would do whatever it takes to keep the street name.

“The reason I want to keep it is because you don’t have Stillman Valley Spur on the 6 o’clock news,” he said. “It’s great being able to live on Easy Street in the middle of nowhere.”

Easy Street is in one of the more rural parts of the county between Youngsport and Florence.

“It’s easy to spell and it sparks conversation,” Preddy said about Easy Street. “Stillman Valley Spur is boring, simply boring.”

Details are still being negotiated but for now the plan is to move the sign back from the road and closer to Preddy’s property, possibly anchoring it to his fence.

“It sounds like a very decent compromise to me,” Macchi said. “If someone wanted to steal it they may have to take his fence, too. I think the commissioners will approve of it,”

Preddy said he is the one who named Easy Street. It surprised him when he learned he could play a role in naming the street. He said he called the county about naming the street for 911 purposes.

“The opportunity arose and I took full advantage of it,” Preddy said. “But, you know, everything about having Easy Street has been hard.”

Hard or not, Preddy said the street name is too good to abandon.

Both Easy Street and Texas Lane are private roads. Bell County puts up signs on private roads with at least three houses.

“Generally, we leave it up to the people who live on the road to name it,” Macchi said last month. “We discourage names like Easy Street and Texas Lane up front.”

Macchi said his department had reservations about Easy Street from the beginning. He said stolen signs cost taxpayers between $60,000 and $70,000 a year.

“Some signs are just more appealing than others,” Macchi said.