The landscape is about to be transformed as trees begin to explode in vibrant fall colours. But that is not the only change coming to local streets this autumn.
You will soon see some new signs popping up in downtown Orillia.
In 2018, the first of a three-phase “tourism wayfinding” sign project began with the installation of vehicular wayfinding signage. Those prominent blue and white signs direct visitors to places like Rotary Place and the Opera House and other key parts of the city.
In the coming weeks, the second phase will start to take shape on city streets. This phase includes 15 pedestrian wayfinding signs and three “district markers” that identify three key areas of the downtown.
The 15 pedestrian wayfinding signs will reflect the city’s new corporate visual identity and logo, and help people find their way around the city.
All signs will include three main items to help visitors navigate and orient themselves within Orillia:
- Wayfinding direction to points of interest within the downtown.
- Finder and detailed map containing a 10-minute walking radius of the downtown.
- Zoomed-out view of Orillia to help visitors orient themselves throughout the City to various Orillia points of interest.
The signs were designed by Habit Creations, a graphic design company the city hired through a request for proposal.
Habit’s “wayfinding director” visited Orillia last summer “to walk and navigate the downtown and to visit the locations of the secondary entrance signs to determine the best wayfinding strategy moving forward,” notes a memo to city councillors.
On Sept. 9, Everest Signs was awarded the contract to create and install the 15 signs, which will be mounted onto existing lampposts and vehicle directional signage in the downtown.
Everest will also oversee the construction and installation of three “district markers” that will be built and installed throughout the downtown at the following locations:
- Downtown (Corner of Mississaga Street and West Street).
- Arts District (Corner of Mississaga Street and Peter Street).
- Waterfront (Outside Orillia Waterfront Centre)
The downtown and waterfront markers will re-use the existing base currently in place from the former Bell Kiosk Pilot project. The third marker will require new installation.
Michael Ladouceur, the city’s manager of tourism, said city council approved $150,000 for this second phase, which covers the design, manufacture and installation of the downtown pedestrian signage.
“Staff anticipate the final cost to come in lower than budgeted as we are using existing infrastructure, such as lampposts and existing vehicular wayfinding signs, and limiting the number of district markers to three,” said Ladouceur.
Once the signs have been installed and this part of the project is complete, a final project cost can be shared, he said.
The final phase of the project will involve the manufacture and installation of gateway highway entry signs into Orillia.
Several studies in recent years - including the First Impressions Community Exchange, the Business Retention & Expansion Program and the Downtown Tomorrow Plan - identified the need for better signage in and around Orillia.
