By Justin Roshak, Contributing Writer
Photo/Laura Hayes
HUDSON – New signs will guide visitors in Hudson’s downtown area while instilling a common aesthetic, project organizers told the Select Board, July 12.
The Select Board unanimously approved a $8,367 installation contract to make this project possible at that July 12 meeting.
Ten new signs will direct individuals to parking, gateway locations and other key points. They will be differentiated from traffic signs by their distinct red color.
The project originated when the Hudson Department of Planning and Community Development received a state grant to hire an urban consultant. The consultant’s recommendations included what department director Kristina Johnson described as a “unified wayfinding system for downtown.”
“It’s something that creates a theme and generates a sense of place,” Johnson said.
The consultant produced design concepts, which were vetted by a committee that included Assistant Director of Planning and Development Pam Helinek and Recreation Director Steve Santos.
The result was “a really creative design that we all thought would bring the downtown alive,” Johnson told the board.
“We chose red. Shocker,” Johnson noted.
“[It would] be a problem if you didn’t choose red,” joked Select Board Chair Scott Duplisea. “This is a great thing.”
The installation will be mostly funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The Business Improvement District (BID) will foot the remainder of the bill.
File photo/Ed Karvoski Jr.
Prices for this effort are higher than expected because “the cost of materials has gone through the roof,” Johnson later told the Community Advocate.
“I’d like to thank the BID for their contribution,” said Select Board member Fred Lucy.
Sign Logic, which is based in Hudson, will install the signs.
“I’m glad to see the winning bid was a local company, which is also a great company,” Duplisea said. “They’ve been here for a long time and do great work.”
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