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12/12/2023 08:11 AMResidents may be noticing the new signs going up around town that are welcoming travelers to Madison. The large signs are slated to be erected at most primary entry roadways leading into Madison, including Route 1, Route 79, and Route 80, as well as I-95 exit ramps leading into town, according to town officials.
Several signs have already been installed, with the remainder expected to be erected by mid-December. The signs are 4 feet tall and approximately 5 feet wide and manufactured by Autografix of Branford, which furnished Guilford’s welcome signs in 2021, according to town records.
According to First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons, the signs cost approximately $5,000 each, totaling more than $50,000 for the 10-sign project. Funding was approved by the Board of Selectmen (BOS) earlier this year, and the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation will cover the expense, said Lyons.
“The ARPA funds, in many ways, were allocated for just these types of projects. We thought it would be really uplifting for the community and for economic development. Our former economic development director, Sheri Cote, had been the one who shepherded this along with our town planner, Erin Mannix, along with the economic development commission,” said Lyons.
Ultimately, according to officials, additional signs will be added to the existing displays that will measure 5 feet wide and 8 inches tall, which will include the phrasing “Settled 1641, Incorporated 1826.”
“It was one of these projects that had been sitting on the pile for some time, but we were all in agreement that the town really needed them,” said Lyons. “The ones that we had were very old and kind of falling apart and frankly were a bit of an embarrassment. We just thought it would be a great use of some of the ARPA funds to address that. Everyone had seen Guilford’s new signs and thought, ‘Hey, those look great,’ and I had a number of people who, when Guilford’s (welcome signs) went up, said, ‘Why aren’t we doing this?’ So that started the thinking about doing something similar.”
According to Lyons, the new signs are manufactured from high-density urethane foam that lasts decades longer than wood but still provides a wooden aesthetic. The colors are set with automotive paint, according to the designer, which also allows for a more significant lifespan than simply exterior paint.
“Because they are a composite material, we expect them to last much longer than traditional wood signs,” Lyons said.
There are also plans to place “wayfinding” and informational signage in a similar style around town, according to Lyons.
“We want to do signage for points of interest in town as well,” Lyons said. “That will require some additional planning of what we would like to highlight. Some of the old signs did have directional type info as well, but I believe the thinking now is that this time around, we want to keep things separate so that we could change things more easily if the need arises. That is something we will be working on in the next six to 12 months. We wanted to keep it simple initially: take the ARPA funds and do some welcome signs, and then we’ll do the next wave of the directional ones.”
Dawn Jackson, executive director of the Madison Chamber of Commerce, said the signs are just one component of the Chamber’s economic development strategy.
“The new signs are a beautiful welcome to the town of Madison. The main color is a part of the town crest that is featured on the signs, which has an aesthetic that will be appealing for residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come,” Jackson said.