Patrick Hanlon, senior project manager for PGAV Planners, who is helping coordinate the California Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri (D.R.E.A.M.) Initiative program was present for the signage meeting held Thursday, June 30, at City Hall.
Present at the meeting were Hanlon, PGAV Landscape Architect Scott Runde, Kim Martin, Ann Perry, Norris Gerhart, Cameron Freiner, Diane Eulinger, Shelly Hampton, Tom Winters, Charles and Carol Rackers, Larry Kent, Stephen and Morris Burger, Gail Hughes and Dr. Don Vanderfeltz.
Hanlon discussed the concept of wayfinding and the ways to implement and design signs in such a way to make finding and discovering destinations easy for visitors to the town.
During a previous D.R.E.A.M. presentation it had been mentioned grants and tax credits were available in the past but Hanlon said with the cuts in budgets on every level it is not something feasible for the California project. Hanlon has worked with MoDOT in the past on the D.R.E.A.M. projects and said experience is something which could benefit California.
"We have worked with MoDOT quite a bit and is something I hope is going to help us out in this project as well," Hanlon said. "MoDOT is always a constantly changing organization and right now is going through a great deal of change due to budgetary restraints and a change in its mission and purpose. But I think the community is going to be successful mostly because it is their initiative and they are the ones driving the effort and not depending on MoDOT to do it for them. MoDOT likes to see that and they like to be included in the mix. As long as everything goes according to MoDOT's guidelines I definitely feel this will be a successful effort."
Hanlon said he feels the meeting accomplished the goals it was set up to do by getting the concepts of wayfinding as D.R.E.A.M. approaches it across as well as getting feedback on destinations and placement of signs. He added he was pleased with the interest and length of the meeting and resources and organization provided by the citizens saying it gives them, "leg up on the process and moves it along a lot faster."
Concepts for the consistent design to be implemented in California were discussed and designs will be presented at the next signage meeting to be held July 21, at 7 p.m., at City Hall which Hanlon encourages interested residents to attend.
"For the meeting July 21," Hanlon said, "I really want to come out of there hopefully with a positive reception to the design concepts, being close to picking one of the three concepts and getting really a more specific ideas of where we are going to place our signs specifically looking at Highway 50 and the Highway 50/87 Interchange. The design and types of signs along with placement will be the theme of the next meeting."