Written By David Gomez
SOUTHWEST MIDDLESEX - Concerns over cost, durability and duplication shaped Southwest Middlesex council’s discussion of a new wayfinding and community signage strategy on July 15.
The plan is intended to guide future signage decisions across the municipality, including gateway, directional and destination signs. CAO Amanda Gubbels said it provides “a long-term roadmap for improving navigation, community identity, tourism, and economic development.”
She emphasized that adopting the strategy would not authorize new signs or commit council to the estimated implementation costs.
“It simply establishes the framework to guide future council decisions,” Gubbels said, adding that any spending would still require approval through future budgets or grant applications.
Councillor Mark McGill asked how the municipal plan would align with Middlesex County’s signage strategy and whether overlapping signs could be avoided. Gubbels said the same consulting firm prepared both strategies and specifically coordinated the two plans. The main area where duplication could occur involves community entrance signs, which could be installed by either the county or the lower-tier municipality.
Several councillors questioned the strategy’s estimated price tag of roughly $900,000 if all proposed signs were installed. Councillor Joel Haggith said the amount appeared high, particularly if signs last only 10 to 15 years.
Deputy Mayor Mike Sholdice also cautioned against replacing recently installed municipal signs that already use the current Southwest Middlesex logo.
Gubbels agreed that existing signs in good condition should remain until the end of their service life. She said council could choose which recommendations to implement, use less expensive materials and obtain pricing from local contractors.
“What they have estimated in their implementation plan is all the signs they have suggested, which certainly we would have the ability to pick and choose,” she said.
Sholdice asked whether gateway signs could be addressed first rather than implementing the full strategy. Gubbels confirmed that council could prioritize those signs and seek separate pricing.
Mayor Allan Mayhew said some existing entrance signs are deteriorating and argued that municipal identity remains an important consideration. He also stressed that council would retain control over future phases.
Council adopted the strategy and directed staff to prepare a future report on a possible Rural Ontario Development Program grant application.
The motion passed, but no specific signage installation or capital expenditure was approved.
