“This is something we’ve considered for a while, and is important as we move towards having more people visit downtown,” said Hamilton spokesman Jacob Stone-Welch.
The city is expected to get an influx of out-of-town guests coming for events at the much-anticipated opening of the Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill, which is already partially open. But Stone-Welch said they could be coming as Hamilton is “becoming more and more of a destination with the shops, restaurants, and bars we are now able to offer the greater region.”
The wayfinder signs are a visual guide for visitors, as well as city residents, to know what exactly is in town, and, more importantly, where it’s located.
The Hamilton Visitors Bureau is a partner with the city of Hamilton and the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce in getting the signs installed around the city.
Shaun Higgins, chair of the Hamilton Visitors Bureau, said they ― visitor or resident ― can’t take for granted everybody will know everything that’s going on in and around the city, and “it’s a reminder that there is a lot going on and to be proud of our city, and there’s a lot to offer.”
“With so much activity downtown, hopefully, when folks park their cars, our visitors, our travelers, don’t get back in and drive somewhere else,” said Higgins.
Each sign has a walking time (based on Google) associated with every location, Stone-Welch said.
The three-sided signs (and a couple may be two-sided) will be affixed to existing items, like poles that are used for traffic signal arms, above-ground utilities, or street lighting. Fabricated brackets have been ordered to mount the pedestrian wayfinding signs, and once they are received, it will take a month or two to install, Stone-Welch said.
There are additional signs that can be installed if more signs are needed, he said.
Having the visitor’s bureau and the chamber of commerce partner with the city is important for the “depth of perspective between those three organizations that you don’t have alone,” Stone-Welch said.
“We get added value in having the perspective of a tourism agency that can look at this from the point of view of a person who’s never been to the city before. And then we have the perspective of the chamber of commerce, that can say what is going to be helpful for our businesses,” he said.
Stone-Welch said they’ll update the wayfinding signs likely on an annual basis as the list of places to visit and patronize expands, and “hopefully not contract.”
Along with the signs, there will be a tear-and-take map visitors and locals can have that show the same information as the pedestrian wayfinding signs. These foldable paper maps are now available at Municipal Brew Works, Fretboard, Basil 1791, and the Strauss Gallery at Artspace, and will be at more locations as the program is rolled out.
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