By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – A committee is being formed to look at the use of way-finding signs in the village.
Ashwaubenon’s Public Works and Protection Committee agreed Tuesday, Dec. 4, to have Trustee Ken Bukowski and Village President Mary Kardoskee on the committee being formed to research the issue and come up with some suggestions.
Village Manager Allison Swanson informed the Public Works and Protection Committee that the current signage for motorists to find their way to locations around the village is “tattered and bad, and it’s outdated.”
Swanson, who provided committee members with a map of the village showing where the current way-finding signs are located, said village staff discussed the issue and found not all the points of interest in Ashwaubenon are included on those signs.
“We debated about what we should do, and staff-wise, our recommendation, without having talked to (Trustee Mark) Williams, is we would like to do away with it for the following reasons,” she said. “One, we don’t think people in vehicles necessarily notice them. You know, if you’re driving 35, 40 miles an hour down Oneida Street or Holmgren or Cormier, you’re not necessarily noticing it.”
Swanson said more people are using cell phones or navigational devices in their cars, instead of relying on signs, to find their way around the village.
“We think the signs would be helpful if it was more at a pedestrian level, where if we had the density and you’re walking… In our entertainment district, it might make some sense, but we’re not necessarily there yet,” she said. “If we did go with some sort of way-finding signage, that’s where we would need direction, because what we greatly debated was who gets to be on the sign and where are the best places to put them.”
Williams, who appeared before the Public Works and Protection Committee, noted the issue came up on another village committee he serves on as to having signs for visitors when they come off of a highway to know what Ashwaubenon has to offer.
“People don’t know when they enter the village that we have a village hall, police station, PAC (Performing Arts Center), aquatic center, library, community center that people have supported in referendums by overwhelming majority for us to build these places,” he said.
Williams said he understands people who know where they are going can program that location, such as Lambeau Field, on their GPS, “but it’s those people that are entering the community that don’t know that we have some of these things and want to possibly take advantage of them.”
He suggested placing way-finding signs where people would enter the village, such as Interstate 41 at Lombardi Avenue, Interstate 41 at Oneida Street and State Highway 172 at Pilgrim Way.
“One of the facilities that I’m on the advisory board for is the PAC, and what we’re finding is that there’s not a lot of people that, first of all, know the PAC is there or the aquatic center,” he said. “When they get there, they’re saying what a wonderful place it is for them to go to watch some of these events that are happening.”
Bukowski said the PAC manager had informed him about when people get to the corner of where the Target store is they don’t know where to go from there to get to the PAC.
He suggested looking at what is now in the village for way-finding signage and then coming up with an idea on how to lead people with signs to where things in the village frequently visited are located.
“I mean, obviously, you don’t need one for Lambeau Field or Titletown, that kind of thing,” he said. “But just those two, the PAC and the pools, are kind of off the beaten path, if you will, and so is the community center, to a lesser extent, but nevertheless a little off the beaten path.”
The two other Public Works and Protection Committee members present had mixed views on way-finding signage with Joann Euclide in favor of using those signs and Josh Kohnhorst noting how people now use phones to find their way around.
When Kohnhorst questioned what the cost would be for putting up way-finding signs, Williams said he didn’t know the cost.
“I know we have talked in the past about it, and one of the ways of possibly funding it is in excess funds, unspent excess funds from this year, or, you know, putting it in the budget or something,” Williams said. “So, I mean, there’s ways of funding it or budgeting for it if we have to.”
Rex Mehlberg, the village’s parks, recreation and forestry director, said he didn’t think way-finding signage would be needed “all over the village,” but it could help at some major points to get people in the right direction.
“I don’t think it’s needed all over the place, but in some of the major corners or intersections, we’ve used it before,” he said.
Kardoskee agreed with Bukowski’s suggestion to form a small committee of interested parties to look at the issue of way-finding signage with ideas about where signs should be for which facilities and come up with costs.
Bukowski said he would sit down with Kardoskee to come up with names of people who would have an interest in the issue to be on the committee.
Swanson said village staff contacted Ashwaubenon High School related to having signs on school property to point to the entrances of the PAC, pool and field house.