Thanks to a local business owner, six new Stayton signs are going up.
“Just as we were going to ask the public to help, Juli Boschler of The Box stepped up and agreed to pay for the installation!” said Steve Poisson, president of Revitalize Downtown Stayton. “We are grateful for her belief in RDS and our downtown, and believe this project will be another step in helping businesses reopen.”
Boschler called RDS “a hardworking group of volunteers improving downtown Stayton.”
“The Box LLC – shared office spaces – gave a donation to RDS to have directional signs installed because many of the hot seat members come from other towns or out of state,” Boschler said, adding, RDS volunteers “work off of donations and grants, and as Stayton opens up, there will be new things to come see downtown and signs to point you in the right direction.”
Over the years, Poisson said much discussion took place about how to get people from the main drag to downtown Stayton, which has a plethora of merchants.
“First Avenue is where the traffic through town is located,” Poisson said. “So, how do we get the drivers to know there are businesses to visit on Second and Third?”
About a year ago, RDS decided to take action, Poisson said.
“We worked with Marion County – they own First Avenue – and the city of Stayton to design directional signs that would be placed on First Avenue,” he said. “We got all of the required approvals, and had six signs made – three that would face northbound traffic and three that would face southbound traffic. We got approval for six locations on First Avenue between Washington and Water streets. They have been sitting in city storage for almost a year.”
RDS received an estimate for the cost of materials to have the city install the six signs of about $1,100, Poisson said.
“Much better than the $3,000 the county estimated,” he added. “But RDS didn’t have the money needed for installation.”
Poisson said RDS couldn’t ask cash-strapped business owners to chip in for the installation, and just before asking for the public’s help, Boschler offered the finances needed to proceed.
Poisson and other members believe this is a “great time to have the signs installed, as businesses begin to open up after the stay-at-home orders. Particularly now, they can use any help directing more business their way,” Poisson said.
