Perry County planners advance countywide wayfinding signs; PennDOT approvals and maintenance are top issues

Perry County's Picture Perry work group on economic development is moving forward with a countywide wayfinding and directional signage effort intended to connect trailheads and downtown business districts, officials said during a work group meeting.

Jasmine Polbert, regional Main Street coordinator with the Perry County Economic Development Authority, said the project aims for a cohesive look across nine boroughs and townships and that a Pennsylvania signing trust and PennDOT representatives will be involved in the approvals process. "Part of our planning includes wayfinding and directional signage to key, key elements in our area that people wanna know about how to get to," Polbert said.

The group scheduled a January 15 meeting to review locations and to learn what PennDOT requires for signs on state-owned roadways, Polbert said. Participants agreed to assemble an inventory of existing signs and to ask Main Street committees in each borough to nominate points of interest for inclusion.

Speakers repeatedly raised the question of long-term maintenance and who would bear the cost and labor of repair and replacement. The moderator noted proposals to finance ongoing upkeep, including the possibility of a lodging or hotel tax to create a dedicated tourism-revenue fund for sign maintenance and other visitor infrastructure.

Officials agreed to share contact lists and inventory counts ahead of the January meeting and committed to coordinate Main Street committees and volunteers on final point-of-interest approvals. The county's Picture Perry online materials, including maps and the resolutions tab, were described as the repository for planned projects and amendment-cycle entries.

The next procedural step is the January 15 meeting with PennDOT representatives to clarify sign standards, allowable locations on state roads, and municipal responsibilities for long-term upkeep.