Submitted Photo
By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia announced last Wednesday during a press conference at Carvins Cove that it awarded $250,000 in grants to five local jurisdictions—Botetourt County, Roanoke County, Franklin County, the City of Salem, and the City of Roanoke—to support tourism efforts to bring wayfinding signage to the region. The uniform signage will help visitors and residents alike better navigate the Roanoke Valley.
Each of the localities received $50,000 in grant funding, but were required to contribute $25,000 in matching funds. The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors voted last month to accept the grant funds and designate $25,000 in matching funds in the FY 2021 budget.
Botetourt County has been working with Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, which assisted with contracting for the signage renderings, on the wayfinding project for nearly two years.
Gary Larrow, Botetourt’s county administrator, noted that wayfinding is “much more than getting from point A to point B.” He went on to say that it’s about branding the region and accelerating the opportunities for locals and visitors to enjoy everything that the five localities have to offer.
“The regional wayfinding project will enhance our pride and our business development opportunities,” Larrowe said.
Catherine Fox, the vice president of public affairs and destination development for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, explained that in the neighborhood of 35 wayfinding signs will be placed throughout Botetourt County.
“These grants come from the foundations’ unrestricted Community Catalyst Funds which allows us to respond to various needs in the community without being tied to a particular purpose,” Michelle Eberly, the foundation’s director of grant and donor engagement, said. “We are delighted to be in a position to provide significant support to bring regional wayfinding to this area.”
The objectives for the wayfinding signage that were outlined include: increasing economic impacts by moving visitors throughout the region, increasing overnight room stays, enhancing visitor satisfaction by providing easy navigation, creating repeat visitation by increasing awareness of destination assets, welcoming visitors to the region at gateway points, and elevating Virginia’s Blue Ridge as a destination.
“Tourism is big business for Virginia’s Blue Ridge contributing over $892 million in direct travel expenditures in 2018,” Lee Wilhelm, president of the board for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, said. “Our goal is to reach $1 billion in 2021, in order to do that programs such as wayfinding are critical. We are grateful to the Community Foundation for recognizing the economic benefits of supporting this project.”
The decision to hold the conference at Carvins Cove was reached because organizers felt that it perfectly represented all five localities that are included in the wayfinding project.
Photo by Aila Boyd
Photo by Aila Boyd
Photo by Aila Boyd
Photo by Aila Boyd
