Burns Lake council is moving forward with its plan to develop a signage strategy for the community.
Chief Administrative Officer Sheryl Worthing said recently the project will inventory signage currently in place and develop a plan for future messaging of this type. Council first identified the work as needed during its 2015 budget deliberations, she said, and made it a municipal objective for 2016 as part of the strategic planning process.
“This strategy will take inventory of the signage that currently exists in Burns Lake and area, and determine gaps in what kind of signage is missing, what signage needs to be replaced, what signs should be saying, as well as where are the best locations to display signage,” she explained.
“The expected outcome will be a strategy with recommendations on what kinds of signage should be installed in Burns Lake, where they should be located, and what information should be included.”
The village is expected to issue a Request For Proposal on the project in the near future. The process will culminate in the hiring of a consultant to complete the work at a cost that is yet to be determined.
“Staff is hoping to have the strategy completed by early 2016 in order to begin implementation as soon as possible,” she said. “A budget has been identified to complete the strategy, but I would prefer not to mention it until after the RFP has been complete.”
Council’s decision to develop a community signage strategy sooner rather than later has already had an impact on two related projects.
Village officials had hoped to erect two large “Ride Burns Lake” billboards along Highway 16 this summer in an effort to better promote the area’s world-class mountain biking facilities. That initiative – which was expected to cost approximately $6,000 – sparked considerable debate in council recently and has now been shelved.
“The mountain bike signage project is currently on hold until funding can be secured to complete the sign,” Worthing stated recently. “At this time, it has been indicated that it will be after the completion of the signage strategy.”
The village, however, will proceed with its plan to advertise the “Love Burns Lake” shop local initiative. At its regular meeting July 14, council approved the purchase of two temporary “Love Burns Lake” signs at a cost of $750, with the intention of replacing them with more permanent materials once the signage strategy is complete.
According to Worthing, funding was a key factor in council’s decision to install the “Love Burns Lake” signs while postponing the “Ride Burns Lake” project.
“As the budget of this project is smaller and does not require external funding, it was approved by council,” she explained. “However, the signs installed will only be temporary, so after the signage strategy is completed, staff will have more information on where these signs should be located. Also this is a template sign developed by Northern Development Initiative Trust, and therefore includes current and relevant information, and then is tailored specifically for our “Love Burns Lake” program.”
