NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If a stop sign falls in your neighborhood, you would think replacing it with a new one wouldn't be a big deal. But for some in an east Nashville neighborhood that's undergoing revitalization, replacing the expensive, historic-looking ones when they fall is proving to be a challenge.

There's no money to do so, and the city isn't responsible.

Emiley Rye and her neighbor Robert Dyar Jr. moved to the historic Cleveland Park neighborhood in east Nashville for its character and potential.

"There are some great people, great history here," said Dyar. "And I think people really look out for each other."

But last week when they saw one of the neighborhood's expensive, decorative stop signs on the side of the road and a standard one in its place, they wondered why.

"I think it just defeats the whole purpose," said Rye.

"I thought it was a shame because they're good-looking stop signs," Dyar said.

Cleveland Park is a neighborhood in transition, so the Homeowner's Association thought it would be a good idea to canvas the community with new signs, thanks to money left over from a $600,000 MDHA grant.

The problem is that when the signs fall or someone crashes into one, homeowners are responsible for replacing them, not the city. The poles alone on the stop signs cost residents $800 each.

"The city is trying all they can to do to establish a partnership with this neighborhood," said Councilwoman Pam Murray, who represents the district.

The day the decorative stop sign was blown over by a storm, Public Works went out and replaced it with the new one. The department said safety was its No. 1 concern, because if there were no stop sign there, someone could pull out into traffic and get hurt.

Some Cleveland Park residents were concerned that the city just left the new sign. Two days ago, the Vaughn Avenue Street sign was there; now, it's gone. Neighbors are now concerned someone could steal the whole stop sign or those that may fall in the future.