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Temporary Wayfinding Signs To Be Installed Downtown

An example of the temporary wayfinding signs that will be installed in downtown Jamestown prior to the grand opening of the National Comedy Center Aug. 1. More permanent signs, which will be similar to the temporary ones, will most likely be installed next year. Submitted photo

Help is on its way for anyone who doesn’t know how to travel to tourist attractions or find available parking in downtown Jamestown.

On Monday during a Jamestown City Council work session meeting, Jeff Lehman, city public works director, said temporary directional signs for vehicles and pedestrians, along with ones detailing where to park, will be installed this summer in downtown Jamestown. He said the signs will be installed using zip ties. He added that the temp signs will be installed, with plans for permanent ones to be inserted in the future.

Vince DeJoy, city development director, said the temporary signs will look like the permanent ones that will be installed in the future. He said city officials have contracted with Bergmann Associates of Rochester to design a wayfinding plan to mitigate vehicle and pedestrian congestion. City officials were able to hire the consultanting professionals with the $400,000 state Transportation Alternatives Program/Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant to fund “Smart Tourism” initiative that will assist city officials in developing signage to help people navigate downtown easier so they travel less by vehicle. City officials received $100,000 local match from the Gebbie Foundation for the wayfinding grant.

Greg Edwards, Gebbie Foundation chief executive officer, said the temporary and permanent signs are both being handled by Bergmann Associates. He said even though they are two different projects, both are leading to the same conclusion, which is a more effective way for tourist to find attractions and parking. He added that the easier they find parking, the quicker they can start walking the streets of Jamestown to also visit businesses and restaurants.

“The nice thing about (the temporary signs) is that Bergmann was already (working on the wayfinding design plan),” he said. “(Bergmann Associates) had already been working for some months on the permanent signs to be established in 2019. They have surveyed the city in great detail, which will help them with the temporary signs to be in existence by the time the significant crowds arrive for the festival.”

Edwards said no specific date has been established for when the signs will be installed, but they will be inserted before the grand opening of the National Comedy Center Aug. 1.

“They are in their final design stages now and then they will be manufactured by a local company,” he said. “As soon as the local company is done producing them, then they go up.”

The signs will be up at least through the fall, Edwards said. It is not sure when the permanent ones will be installed. He added that the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation funded the production of the temporary signs.

“It has been a collective effort,” Edwards said. “So far, a very successful one. I think it will really help visitors and local businesses so people can get parked and we can have them walking throughout the city.”

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