Kalispell sign project directs visitors to popular places

The Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureau is on the final lap of a wayfinding sign project to help travelers navigate to the city’s points of interest. 

“It’s important so that people are able to be aware of and get to our special amenities,” said Diane Medler, executive director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau. “They could drive downtown and not even know we have these three diverse and amazing museums, or they could go out to the highway and not know Foys Lake is right there with a swimming access.”

The nearly $200,000 project is a collaborative effort between the CVB, the city of Kalispell and the Kalispell Downtown Association, each of which secured different funding sources after a survey in 2011 illustrated the need for better signage in the city.

Today, 68 new signs are now standing in downtown Kalispell and the greater city area, pointing to attractions like the museums, parks and other event centers.

Kalispell Community Development Manager Katharine Thompson said one big gap in the previous sign system was directions to Kidsports, and Flathead and Glacier High School, where thousands of incoming student athletes and families from other towns visit each year.

“How many events happen where the high schools or Kidsports have tournaments or speech meets?” Thompson said. “We attract people from around the state but until this project there were no street signs to help you find those locations. This certainly helps us communicate to our out-of-area visitors that they’re welcome.”

After the initial survey, public open houses in 2012 provided a palette a sign designs for residents to consider. The lettering and size of the signs were ultimately dictated by Montana Department of Transportation requirements.

“That was a set of perimeters, but it was important for our community to have a say on what they thought was a reflection of the community’s character,” Thompson said.

The city initially received a $34,000 grant from the National Park Service to complete the study and initial plans for the project. Matching funds to push the project forward came from the Kalispell Business Improvement District, Flathead Rotary Community Foundation, the city Community and Economic Development Department and all three museums. The CVB later secured another $95,000, about two-thirds of which came from state commerce and tourism department grants, while the Kalispell bureau paired bed-tax funds with contributions from the Business Improvement District.

“This has truly been a collaborative effort,” said Kalispell Downtown Association spokesperson Pam Carbonari, who was a part of the project since day one. “It’s definitely the visitor experience that I think we have improved greatly... It took a long time to get here.”

Now that the Kalispell bypass project is open to traffic, Medler said there’s a few more sings to go up before the project is complete. The CVB has plans for four new signs on the bypass to point drivers to the downtown area, high schools and other event centers. Another two will be built on U.S. 2 to direct travelers toward Woodland Park. Medler expects the remaining signs to be up within the next year.

Thompson said the signs are just one more phase in the plan to foster the Flathead’s tourism industry.

“It’s an important step for Kalispell to put this foot forward in terms of creating an environment that’s visitor friendly,” Thompson said.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.