WEST SPRINGFIELD — Navigating the downtown area may get easier with new, coordinated signs, but it will cost money.
Town Planner Allyson Manuel presented to the Town Council on Oct. 21 the results of the Downtown West Springfield Wayfinding Signage Plan, a grant-funded study led by Stantec Urban Mobility Consultants.
Whitney Burdge, the project manager for Stantec, said new signs would provide visitors with a consistent set of visual cues and a distinctive branding for the town, as opposed to the “inconsistency in both the design and the level of information provided” in the existing 33 way-finding signs downtown.
Consultants defined downtown West Springfield as a roughly rectangular plot bounded by the Connecticut River on the east, Park Avenue on the south, South Boulevard on the west and Westfield and Southworth streets on the north, along with the Elm Street corridor extending north to Neptune Avenue. Stantec met with local officials, hosted public hearings over the past year and conducted a survey in June, with received 25 responses.
The proposed signs would share a color scheme and each bear an icon identifying them as town information signs. Out of five icons and four color schemes proposed, the town officials and public commenters identified the façade of the White Church on Elm Street as the preferred image to represent the town, and predominantly blue, green and white signs, with some yellow, as the preferred design. Their second choices were the silhouette of a terrier dog’s head as the icon, and a patriotic blue, red and white color scheme. The other three options for logos were a radio beacon inspired by the White Church steeple; three mayflower blooms; and a Morgan horse head silhouetted against a clock face.
Burdge said the report recommends three “gateway” signs on roadways approaching the downtown area: on Westfield Street eastbound, before Van Deene Street; on Elm Street southbound, where the grassy median begins; and on Park Street westbound, in roughly the same location as the current welcome sign on the Town Common.
The report also envisions 26 “directional” signs at key intersections in the downtown area, directing motorists to town buildings, parking, features such as “shopping” and “dining,” and to Interstate 91. Though the report only provides for directional signs in the downtown area, it notes that the town may wish to consider additional signs farther along streets that lead into downtown, such as the split of Elm and East Elm streets.
Six “identification” signs labeling town-owned properties such as the Police Department, the library and municipal parking lot are included in the report. Although some of these properties already have signs, the new signs would tie in to the colors and design of the directional signs.
There are also four “information” signs, kiosk-style boards designed to be read by pedestrians and cyclists, on Central Street near the parking lot, on Elm Street near Central Street, on Elm Street at the corner of the library, and in the Town Common at Park and Elm streets.
A state grant paid for the planning process, but no funds have been designated to build and install the signs. Manuel said the town could apply for future grants for that purpose.
When asked by councilors how much it would cost, neither Burdge nor Manuel had a specific number in mind. Burdge said the full plan would require “a few hundred thousand” dollars, which each sign costing up to a thousand dollars to make, though the installation cost could vary wildly depending on whether the sign is placed on an existing pole or requires a new pole, and whether it is installed by a contractor or by an in-house Department of Public Works crew.
Manuel said before applying for a construction grant, she would reach out to a sign fabricator to get an estimate of the costs. She said it’s likely she would look to install only some of the signs in the first phase, reducing the initial cost.
