Council takes first look at way-finding signs

At its Nov. 22 luncheon, Springfield City Council heard a proposal for a new sign program, intended to guide Springfield visitors to major sites and attractions around the city, including Battlefield Mall and Jordan Valley Park downtown.

Council members took a bus tour around the city, getting a firsthand look at the signs and where they would be generally located. More than a dozen temporary signs pointed Highway 65 motorists to downtown.

“They look great. They’re going to be a big help,” Bass Pro Shops’ Promotions Manager Eric Volmer said after the tour. “This is something that Springfield needs, because we don’t have a skyline.”

Signs on major highways would direct travelers to one of three areas determined to be the city’s biggest tourist attractions: the Bass Pro/Wonders of Wildlife campus, downtown and the Battlefield Road retail district.

The $600,000 project would be funded by a combination of city funds and support from some of the businesses involved, though City Manager Tom Finnie said it’s unknown what that split will be.

The city hired Traverse City, Mich.-based Corbin Design to design the project for about $42,000. Corbin Design specializes in way-finding programs and has designed signs for Kansas City and Indianapolis, among others.

Stacey Griffith, vice president and senior designer with the firm, said the design process took about six months.

“We went through several design preference studies with the committee, and we came back with two design solutions,” she said. “They made a couple of changes, and now this is the design we’re presenting.”

She added that the bus tour was essential to making sure the signs looked right even though they were simple plywood mock-ups. Griffith said the best way to determine the proper size of signs and lettering is to see them in their environment.

Bass Pro, Battlefield Mall, Springfield Cardinals, Fantastic Caverns and area universities were among the entities involved in the initial planning.

“We’re all for keeping people in Springfield longer,” Bass Pro’s Volmer said. “Hopefully they’ll spend more money, stay overnight and have more reason to come back and see (Bass Pro) as well.”

The next step is to more specifically decide sign locations and design details. The project will then be put out for bid. A timeline has not been set for the project’s completion.

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