Wayfinder group finally finds sign

Committee approves new proposed Stafford county tourist signage; 'Boy with a Hoop' design expected to go to Supervisors in February

by hugh muir

Date published: 1/27/2009

by hugh muir

It started with a stylized ribbon of a river. In the end, it was a boy with a hoop and a reference to George Washington as a youth.

After searching for a sign design that personifies "Stafford," "boyhood" and "18th century," a Board of Supervisors-appointed committee last Wednesday culminated a two-year study by approving a roadside sign concept aimed at pulling tourists off the highways and onto Stafford's historic streets and back roads.

The design, prominently displaying a silhouette of a tri-corner-hatted youth rol-ling a hoop, will to go to the supervisors Feb. 17. While approval is expected, the county's tight budget situation could delay implementation. Committee members had hoped test versions of the signs would go up this spring.

Meanwhile, higher levels of approval also will be necessary, for safety clearances and suitability, from the Virginia Department of Transportation and he Federal Highway Administration.

But as the Wayfinder group gave the project and design their final OK, committee member and Supervisor Paul Milde said he hoped for speedy implementation.

"These signs will increase tourist interest in Stafford County," he said. "And that translates into tourism dollars."

The design is by Frazier Associates, a Staunton-based firm whose recent projects include the road signage for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown and a similar wayfinding program for Loudoun County. The company's signs in the Williamsburg-Jamestown-Yorktown triangle closely resemble the designs for Stafford, including the colors.

More than 30 attractions in Stafford are on the list of tourist draws for various signs, including historical, recreational and educational highlights. The destinations also will include local wineries, as well as the Marine museum and base at Quantico.

The Wayfinder Committee has 14 members, including two from the Board of Supervisors, Stafford's tourist manager, the director of planning and zoning, and representatives of Frazier, VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. Aside from safety, clarity and placement, the committee also looked for a "brand."

The initial concepts emphasized the two rivers bracketing Stafford, illustrated by schematic ribbons of light blue, with large areas of green for the county's open spaces and colonial blue for contrast, plus a spot of maroon or red to attract the visitor's eye to the sign's message written in white. There were debates about what that message should be.

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Date published: 1/27/2009