New signs will soon guide the way for visitors to Kincardine.
Council has decided to proceed with a new program that will see new tourist direction signs installed, and eventually new community entrance signs.
The first priority will be new “wayfinding” signs that direct visitors to beaches, parks, historic sites, and shopping areas.
A new community entrance sign has already been completed for Tiverton.
110 thousand dollars has been budgeted for the project this year, and the Business Improvement Area has also applied for a provincial Rural Economic Development (RED) grant to help cover costs.
The whole program will cost 470 thousand dollars if fully implemented over a few years.
Kincardine and Saugeen Shores have been working with Bruce County Tourism to develop a comprehensive signage program.
Signage programs could be expanded to other Bruce County municipalities if the efforts in Kincardine and Saugeen Shores are successful.
Councillor Guy Anderson says the existing Tourism and Destination Signs on provincial highways — the large ones with “Ontario” on the top are terrible and he’d like to see them all replaced.
Councillor Kenneth Craig says there is a renewed interest in people taking “staycations”– or holidays close to home and they need to find their way around.
He says there’s a new awareness and appreciation for the need to have quality signage.
There are several remnants of past tourism signage efforts around Kincardine. Most are in disrepair or are small and difficult for motorists to see.
Craig says the signage program is a wonderful advantage for the municipality.
He says it seems like a lot of money — but it’s a project business people and residents have been awaiting for a long time.