SAFFORD — Danny Smith said he’s hoping the four wayfinding signs soon to be installed on Highway 70 are the first of many to come.
“We expect, we hope, that people love them. They’ll be lit, also, at night, and maybe we’ll want more of them,” Smith said.
Smith, the president of the Safford Downtown Association, made his comments during a presentation on the signs at the Safford City Council meeting on Monday.
He said the signs, which have the goal of directing traffic off Highway 70 and into Safford’s Downtown, were initiated six years ago, when the Freeport Community Investment Fund made additional money available.
The signs were one project the Downtown Association took on with the funds — the others were a 48-hour makeover of Downtown restaurant El Coronado, and the first mural in the Downtown, on the Farmer’s Insurance building, that led to the Downtown Mural Project.
The signs were designed by metal artist Rick Merrill, who also designed the Welcome to Thatcher signs, and fabricated by Ponderosa Metal Works. The signs have a retro look, modeled after signage popular in the early days of interstate travel in the 1950s and 1960s.
The signs will be placed in four locations:
- On the southeast corner of Highway 70 and 6th Avenue
- On the southwest corner of Highway 70 and 5th Avenue
- On the southeast corner of Highway 70 and 5th Avenue
- On the southeast corner of Highway 70 and 4th Avenue
Mayor Richard Ortega asked about the date of installation, and Public Works Director Lance Henrie said power to light the signs is dictating the date. The two on 5th Avenue will be installed first because a power source exists there.
“We’re going to take the old black street lights that are there, and that’s what we’re going to use. We’re going to replace those, basically, with these signs,” Henrie said.
The sign on 4th Avenue has power nearby, and Henrie said that sign could be installed fairly easily, but currently there is no power running to the location on 6th Avenue, so that will be the last sign installed once a plan has been finalized.
The sign directing traffic to the Safford City Center will be located on 6th Avenue, The signs directing traffic for dining and entertainment will be installed on 5th Avenue and the shopping sign will be located on 4th Avenue.
Editor’s note: Reporter David Bell serves on the Safford Downtown Association board.
