City moves forward on Wayfinding Signage Program

The city of Palestine voted Monday to move forward with a Wayfinding signage program, designed to make navigating the city, especially the downtown area, easier for visitors.

Wayfinding signage, as its name suggests, helps people find their way around businesses, institutions or other physical locations. The signage is designed to direct people from point to point and confirm progress along a given route. It is frequently seen in places such as campuses, airports, hospitals and parks, and is increasing in popularity in cities and towns with higher levels of tourism.

Palestine Tourism Marketing Manager Mary Raum has been working toward the goal of seeing the project take flight for quite some time.

“The City of Palestine has never had wayfinding signage, and the project has been on the city's strategic plan for over two decades,” Raum said. “So it is exciting to see that we will be implementing a project that has been on the wish list for a long time.”

The city, county and Palestine Economic Development are coming together to make the project a reality. The Anderson County Commissioners Court approved $50,000 to support the project during its meeting on Monday as well.

“I think those signs are going to be a tremendous help,” said County Judge Robert Johnston. “I like going to cities that have signs like that. I think they will help with economic development.”

In addition to the County’s contribution, the City of Palestine has allotted $200,000 through the Hotel Occupancy Tax funds budget and PEDC gave the project a $50,000 community development grant.

The city council voted Monday to authorize City Manager Teresa Herrera to seek sealed bids for the Wayfinding Signage Program fabrication and installation with a goal of completion during upcoming budget fiscal year 2022/23.

“We usually leave the bid open for two to four weeks,” Raum said. “Once we have those back it will take approximately 30 days for the city to review all submissions and get the contract awarded through City Council. Depending on contractor availability and schedules, we'd like to see new signage in the ground by December, but realistically, we should have it completed prior to the Texas Dogwood Trails Celebration in March 2023.”

The end goal of the project is to move Palestine forward as a destination for visitors, but also to provide a sense of pride for Palestine residents.

“My hope for this project is that it helps our local residents regain a sense of pride in community. It's hard to imagine that signage could make a difference like that, but we see it on a day to day basis,” Raum said. “A road gets repaired and suddenly home owners start picking up their yards and porches and taking pride in their property. The Downtown Revitalization Project is the same. It will be a catalyst for change within that immediate and surrounding area.”