New signage directs visitors
to city’s downtown sites
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Visitors to the Star City now have an added tool in finding some of the more notable locations throughout town, following the installation of signage at four different sites.
NEW SIGNS welcoming visitors to Presque Isle were installed at four locations around the city in October, providing directions to various destinations in the community, including the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library, Presque Isle Historical Society and City Hall. 
Officials with the Downtown Revitalization Committee spearheaded the project as a way to familiarize those passing through town with what the city has to offer. Pictured with a sign located on the lawn of the William Haskell Building (Presque Isle’s Rec Center) are, from left: DRC members Jan Murchison, Leigh Smith and Scott Violette; and Ken Arndt, director of the Presque Isle Planning and Development Department.
“The Gateway signs were installed Oct. 24 and cost approximately $1,500 each,” said Ken Arndt, director of Presque Isle’s Planning and Development Department.
Arndt said funds were designated in the municipal budget for use by the Downtown Revitalization Committee to be used for promotional and other purposes. Money taken from that fund will cover the cost of purchasing the signs.
“Installation was handled by Public Works personnel. Funding for the project came from the city, with moneys budgeted for 2011 and 2012 for the DRC,” he said.
In all, four signs were put up throughout the community, advising visitors on which direction to go to reach certain destinations, including the District Court, Riverside Park, the library and downtown shopping.
“One sign is located on State Street as you approach the bridge from the west, one is on Academy Street at Downing Park and the bike path crossing, one is at the Recreation Center on Main Street and the fourth is in the city’s linear park, just north of Mastro Motors,” Arndt said.
All are similarly designed, with slight differences in destinations noted, based on their location.
“They are all similar — have the same logo, Downtown’s Shine On, Good Times — and have generic directional sub-signs, such as city hall, the courthouse, theater/restaurants, library, post office, etc., based on their location. They are primarily ‘Welcome to Downtown’ signs,” said Arndt.
Arndt said the goal of the signage is to “alert shoppers and travelers of the directions to various services, to help build visual excitement for those visiting our city.”
“And hopefully to tell visitors and shoppers we want their experiences in our downtown to be satisfying and helpful,” said Arndt.
The Gateway signs were first recommended in the city’s 2008 Downtown Master Plan and are part of the overall city center revitalization efforts initiated in 2006.
