The look of new wayfinding signage for Great Bend was unveiled to the Great Bend City Council Monday night.  

A Convention and Visitors Bureau project “This is part of our city’s strategic plan,” said Christina Hayes, community coordinator and CVB director.

She presented governing body members with maps showing the locations of existing signs with photos of them. “You can see all the wayfinding signs that are currently in our community and what we will be replacing,” she said. 

“What’s great about this project is at the last CVB Board meeting, I was trying to come up with ways to fund this,” Hayes said. Then City Clerk/Finance Director Shawna Schafer said the city already had the money saved, enough to cover the first 15 signs (replacing the current ones which she said desperately need replaced). 

“So, the next steps are deciding what needs to be said on each sign,” she said. They are in different areas of the community will promote different attractions and points of interest.

Thematically, the new signs will match the new large entrance signs on North Main and near Railroad Avenue and U.S. 56. They will stand about 12 feet tall.

The CVB will work with Mark’s Custom Signs and the Street Department. Before things can get started, though, they have to secure permitting and licensing from the Kansas Department of Transportation, necessary since some of the installations will be on state highways.

Hayes said they are hoping to have these in place by the end of the year. The biggest holdup will be getting the required permissions.

After this project is done, also in keeping with the strategic plan, they will focus back on the city entrances that have no signage now.