Input sought for Kalispell 'wayfinding' signs

Two open houses this week will ask for public input on “wayfinding” signs being developed to help visitors find their way around to Kalispell’s many attractions.

Open houses run from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ve come up with the first draft of sign designs, and we’re asking people to come and give us their comments and thoughts,” said Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Then we’ll go back and refine the designs and at another meeting display the more final concepts.”

The signs are the offshoot of a $4,000 wayfinding study by Cygnet Strategies, a tourism consulting company in Helena.

Street signs can be the only line of communication to guide visitors to attractions and places like the downtown, and the wayfinding study found Kalispell’s signs sorely lacking.

The study’s preliminary findings were presented last October by company owner Vicky Soderberg.

For the study, Soderberg inventoried all of Kalispell’s potential destinations and attractions and then traveled streets and followed signs to see how easy they were to find and how well they were promoted.

She found faded and hidden signs, attractions with obscure signs or no signs, a potentially bewildering array of parking and “no left turn” signs downtown with wayfinding signs buried in the mix, and a lack of gateway signs to welcome and direct visitors at the city limits.

Soderberg’s company was retained to develop a complete system of wayfinding signs for both downtown and the rest of the city.

In addition to designing the signs, the project will map out the location and number of directional, attraction and gateway signs needed and create bid specifications so signs can be made and installed.

The wayfinding project aims to:

n Alleviate congestion, particularly at decision points along U.S. 93 and  U.S. 2.

n Reduce sign clutter.

n Provide a cohesive look and feel.

n Strengthen community identity.

n Show pride in the city.

n Invite visitors and residents to explore Kalispell.

n Create trailblazers for walking and biking trails.

n Direct visitors to places where they can spend their time and money in the city.

Another hope is that all of the wayfinding signs can be made locally.

“We have a city sign department. But whether it’s them or someone else, we will be working with the consultant to come up with a pleasant and effective design and something we can fabricate locally,” Medler said. “We’re just trying to keep costs down and use our resources as effectively as possible.”

The study and the work done to date have been funded with a $75,000 Preserve America grant that the National Park Service awarded to Kalispell. Matching funds also have been contributed by the Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Kalispell Business Improvement District, Medler said.

The downtown component of the wayfinding project is expected to move forward first, with a chance for some new signs to be in place by August.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.