The Mount Vernon City Council approved a $10,000 contract with the firm Confluence to advance a wayfinding signage study as part of the Highway 30 Corridor plan. The city worked with Confluence on its corridor plan, which was adopted November 2020.
The study will include two public input and engagement sessions (in formats to be determined).
Confluence estimated the project will require roughly 80 total hours to define the scope of the work, including coming up with concepts for the wayfinding signage.
Mount Vernon city council member Eric Roudabush wanted examples of the previous work of Confluence to see what the city would get for the work, as a roughly $125 per hour for work on the project seemed steep.
Mount Vernon city council member Stephanie West noted the number of rules for signage along Hwy. 1 and Business 30 are complicated, because Iowa Department of Transportation rules on where signs can go and remain in compliance.
“That’s a tricky portion of this signage study, and I think it’s worth that money to make sure any signs we are looking to have installed are within compliance,” West said. “This is an important part of the Hwy. 30 corridor plan for the businesses in uptown Mount Vernon and it’s important we move forward.”
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group (CDG) held a discussion with the Iowa Department of Transportation in February 2020 outlining the rules and placement of signs along the highway.
At that discussion, Mount Vernon city administrator Chris Nosbisch said that off of the new Hwy. 30, Hwy. 1 is still under the jurisdiction of the Iowa DOT and signage along that road needs to comply with the DOT requirements. The roundabout and the approach to it, Nosbisch said, would continue to follow the more restrictive of the two agencies’ rules on allowing signs around it.
At that time, which was before shutdowns caused by COVID, Nosbisch indicated the city would wait until Hwy. 30 was fully operational before turning its attention to signs.
Council approves technology upgrades for city council first floor
The Mount Vernon City Council spending $13,000 for technology improvements to spaces on the first floor of city hall.
The $12,615.76 bid includes new technology displays for the large conference room, improvements to the server rack and improvements to the training area next to Chris Nosbisch’s office.
An alternate of an additional $3,555 for a wall mounted control kit is also being explored by Nosbisch.
The technology upgrades are some of the final expenses for the remodel of the City Hall building that were started in late 2019 with the police department moving to a new location.
Council moving forward with wayfinding signage study
August 19, 2021
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.