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Consultant presents draft wayfinding plan; Select Board asks for refinements ahead of possible grant funding
Summary
Stantech planner Whitney Burge presented a draft wayfinding study for downtown Southborough including 45 existing signs, proposed directional/gateway/informational sign typologies, a design motif and phased implementation. The Select Board and Historical Commission asked for edits to the destination list and agreed to place the item on a July 7 agenda for next steps and grant coordination.
A Stantech consultant on June 16 presented a draft wayfinding study that maps existing town signage, recommends a family of directional, gateway and pedestrian informational signs and proposes a phased rollout tied to grant funding.
"We commenced this project in the end of January... we conducted an inventory and identified 45 signs today overall," Whitney Burge, senior transportation planner for Stantech, told the Select Board. Burge outlined a three‑phase plan that begins with engineering analysis and design specifications, followed by fabrication and a phased installation schedule.
The study includes a destination list the consultant developed with a project management group; Historical Commission Chair Kevin Miller praised the outreach but asked for corrections and additions to the destination list (including the community house, rural cemetery and Bernett House). "I do want to say... I don't consider this report quite complete," Miller said, urging refinements to the destination inventory.
Board members asked the consultant to return with a process to finalize naming and siting and to bring the topic back to the agenda July 7 so the town can synchronize grant timing with engineering and fabrication steps. Burge said the town has applied for a follow‑on state program (OneStop/Onetop) that — if awarded in October — could fund specification drawings and possibly a prototype sign.
Why it matters: A cohesive wayfinding system aims to improve navigation, promote downtown destinations and support tourism and the town’s upcoming tricentennial events. The study provides cost‑estimates and phasing options that the town can align with grant cycles.
Next steps: Staff will place wayfinding on the July 7 agenda; consultant will incorporate requested destination list corrections and next‑step implementation guidance.
