MARYVILLE, Tenn. — New signs that welcome people to downtown Maryville, identify parking areas and point people in the direction of local businesses are being installed in the city starting this week.
The signs, some with the slogan "The More the Maryville" are part of a plan the city has to grow business and foot traffic in the city's downtown area. Angie Luckie, Maryville's Public Services Director, said the signs are there to help people find their way around the area.
"It's to help people who are coming to our downtown to find things, whether it's the library, the greenway, and places to eat and shop," Luckie said. "So, it's signage that is directional."
Luckie said the city's downtown is vibrant, and leaders have been working for a few years to put together a master plan for the area, which included public input and help from a consultant.
She said as part of the master plan process, the city determined the signage could help people explore different areas of downtown. The area has gateway signs, announcing people are entering downtown Maryville, as well as signs for people who drive and walk around the city, to give them an idea of where they're going.
"There are 25 signs (going up) in this round," Luckie said. "There will be four gateway signs, there will be six pedestrian signs, and then the vehicular directional trail markers and the garage signs add up to the rest of the 25."
Another phase of 41 signs will be completed in the future. The signs welcoming people to downtown Maryville are a vibrant blue, with green and a little bit of red.
Luckie said that in the next five years, she hopes more people will visit and live in the downtown Maryville area.
"I think we need a little bit more downtown living, so we have some developers that are working on some of those things," she said. "We need that vibrant (atmosphere), just people coming down and patronizing the businesses that we have."