Locals study drafts for wayfinder system

by Brian Rosenthal
Pharos-Tribune staff writer

July 05, 2008 09:29 pm

— Green and blue signs pointing visitors to government buildings, schools and parks might soon dot Cass County.
County residents have been working with consultants to develop a pathway system to guide residents and visitors to various locations throughout the county.
Project participants are reviewing drafts for sign design and location, and may be able to make some decisions in the next couple weeks, said Logansport Deputy Mayor Linda Klinck, one of the leaders of the initiative.
About 40 county and city residents have been involved in the project, with 10 residents forming a “core group,” Klinck said.
The project officially kicked off at the end of April, but has been in the works for three years since Purdue University helped the county develop a strategic plan that included such a system as a priority.
The system would be the first of its kind in Indiana to include both city and county destinations.
Project organizers are looking at signage to identify attractions such as government buildings, historical locations, local parks, schools, medical facilities, restaurants, hotels and enteratainment hotspots.
“It will help our community with continued tourism growth as well as allow visitors to take advantage of all our wonderful destinations,” said Klinck, adding that the project might not get noticed immediately, but will have a great long-term impact.
The plan will show what Cass County has to offer, she said.
“If my son and his family come back and I have to work all day, I can say, ‘follow the signs,’” she said. “When people discover and can find places to visit, they’re more likely to come back.”
Drafts include green signs pointing to county destinations and blue signs pointing to city destinations.
“We’re very, very pleased with the design that’s been chosen up to this point for the county,” said Toni Savini, the director of the Cass County Visitors Bureau.
While Guidance Group Consulting has proposed about 2,000 sign locations throughout the county, project participants are expected to scale that number down, Klinck said.
Klinck, Savini and others are trying to keep the costs to a minimum because of budget constraints, she said. The study and design phase will cost $43,000 and is being funded by the visitors bureau. The most recent estimate for the final plan was between $300,000 and $500,000, but Klinck is hoping that number can be reduced.
“We have 100 percent support from the mayor,” she said. “The questions are do we really have the funding for it and what grants can we get?”
The original plan was to have a proposal ready to go to city council by this year’s budget hearings at the end of the summer, Klinck said. Now, participants aren’t sure the plans will be ready by then.
No official time frame has been set, Savini said.
One thing that has already been completed is a new visitors bureau Web site, launched May 9 as part of the initiative to make Cass County more visitor-friendly.
“I’m very pleased with how the Web site has turned out,” Savini said. “It has a really nice welcoming feel.”
Up to this point, project organizers have been working closely with consultants, Klinck said. The firm, which has offices in Massachusetts, Florida and North Carolina, has worked on many similar projects. President Richard Golber visited Cass County at the end of April to identify locations for signs.
Now, local participants will start looking at the drafts themselves, Klinck said.
“We felt we needed professionals with fresh eyes, unknown eyes to look at it,” she said. “But we’re wise enough to know we need to do our own homework.”
A workshop will be held in the coming weeks to review sign locations.
Brian Rosenthal can be reached at (574) 732-5148, or via e-mail at Brian.Rosenthal@pharostribune.com

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