Jackson 'Welcome' signs are up

Friday, September 11, 2009

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Flanking all three entrances into Jackson are new gateway signs, erected last week.

The signage project was initiated in the fall of 2007, according to Town Administrator Bob McLaurin, to enhance the overall guest experience in the downtown district and further support the community’s economic sustainability.
The first phase of the project will cost the Town of Jackson $250,000, after a $22,000 grant from Wyoming Travel & Tourism. It entails the three gateway signs recently placed, and other wayfinding signs on Broadway. Phase one also includes several signs regarding public parking and map signs, soon to be placed on the Town Square, Deloney and at the Home Ranch.

Phase one of the sign project was given the go-ahead by Town Council in early 2008 when town coffers were relatively healthy. Initially, there were expectations to also include smaller wayfinding and information signs at various street corners throughout the core downtown area, including bus stops, as part of a future phase. However, McLaurin cautioned the Council at a meeting on Feb. 13, 2008, “I think the street signs are pretty far down the list. The money will run out long before then.”

Funds for the project come out of the town’s capital budget. Financial constraint for the 2010 fiscal year have already made the possibility of outlays for any future signage unlikely.

The signs were designed by LandWorks, a Vermont-based firm, after numerous rounds with elected officials, stakeholders and the public. Council members debated adding a “population” number to the sign but decided to omit info that would require updating.

The signs were fabricated by ADCON, Inc. out of Fort Collins, CO and installed by Public Works crews last week.

“Everything went fine from our perspective,” Public Works Director Larry Pardee said. “We knew we would have to move some of the sidewalks.”

Pardee added that dodging utilities and maintaining WYDOT specifications added to installation challenges. Despite their burly appearance, WYDOT would not immediately approve the signs as meeting crash test standards – a process Pardee said might take up to three years. The work-around the Town was to install the gateway signs further from the roadside.

Special Projects Coordinator Rachel Fuller steered the project through all the steps.
“We looked at things like expertise and pricing and these firms came out on top,” Fuller said. “To be honest, we didn’t have a whole lot of local bidders.”

The three gateway signs are all fitted with low-energy LED lighting panels. Each would be solar powered, but the Council has decided not to light any of the signs at this time. Mayor Mark Barron said he believed vehicle headlights would illuminate the signs just fine and did not wish to pollute Jackson’s night sky with another artificial light source. JHW

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