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EDA reviews Downtown Design Guide emphasizing Swedish heritage and 'goat' motif
Summary
The EDA reviewed a draft Downtown Signage & Furnishings Guide that recommends uniform furniture, signage and public-art elements drawing on Swedish-inspired motifs; the design team and residents proposed a recurring goat image and other wayfinding elements.
The Lindstrom EDA reviewed a draft Downtown Signage and Furnishings Guide intended to create a more consistent look and feel for public spaces and to provide templates businesses can use for exterior improvements.
Dan, president of the EDA, told the board the guide grew from community workshops and contractor work with local residents: "So we ended up contracting with Tawali, which is the contractor that did the Swedish American Trail head concepts for us." He walked members through four furniture settings (downtown plaza, pocket park, sidewalk cafe, storefront bench) and showed maps identifying nine public-gathering spaces. The draft proposes benches, bike racks, movable planters, standardized litter receptacles and wayfinding markers to knit downtown together.
The presentation also highlighted a distinctive local motif: "One thing that did come out of this, was the desire to add goats to our downtown," Dan said, describing public and artist interest in integrating goat imagery into banners, metal prints and seasonal displays. Board members and local-business representatives discussed donation and sponsorship models to offset higher-quality furnishing costs and suggested local fabricators might reduce installation expenses.
