New tall green signs identifying parking spots for visitors are the latest addition to downtown Clinton, which has seen a dozen of them erected in and around the downtown to go with the brown primary “trailblazer” signs that direct pedestrians and motorists alike to local places of interest.
The City of Clinton, in partnership with the Clinton Main Street Program and Clinton Development Corporation, received a $11,250 grant from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services last year for the purpose of purchasing 12 parking lot identification signs and two primary trailblazers as part of the city’s wayfinding system for the city, notably its downtown.
Having completed the design of the city’s wayfinding system in 2015, the city installed eight primary trailblazer signs throughout the city last summer, along with a new “Welcome to Downtown Clinton” sign courtesy of contributions from the Downtown Dash Committee. The wayfinding system’s primary goal is to assist the traveling public in finding their way to important destinations within the community such as the courthouse, Sampson Community Theatre, Sampson Community College, Sampson-Agri Exposition Center and the medical district.
The 14 new signs were purchased with grant funds provided by a partnership between the N.C. Division of Public Health, Community and Clinical Connections for Prevention and Health (CCCPH) branch, the N.C. Department of Commerce, and N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center.
“We encourage citizens, downtown employees and business owners to pay attention to these signs and park responsibly to the benefit of continuing to create a vibrant downtown Clinton,” said Clinton-Sampson Planning director Mary Rose, who serves as Clinton’s Main Street manager. “The Clinton Main Street Program Design Committee continues to look for opportunities to make attractive improvements to downtown Clinton.”
She said the wayfinding initiative for the downtown is another way the Clinton Main Street Program continues to work to promote the downtown and attract visitors to what the city proudly touts as “the center of opportunity for social, cultural, commercial and governmental activity in the heart of Sampson County.”
The 12 parking lot identification signs installed last week identify two-hour and all-day parking opportunities within the downtown. The two primary trailblazers, similar to those that have already gone up on College Street, Lisbon Street and Sunset Avenue, will be installed upon completion of the N.C. 24 project and will direct the traveling public to the Sampson Community College, Royal Lane Park, downtown Clinton and the Sampson County Courthouse.