Archway holds summer charrette weekend here

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 10, 2016

AMERICUS — Students from the UGA College of Environment and Design (CED) and CED Outreach Coordinator, Jennifer Lewis, visited Sumter County recently and its many tourism assets during a spring design charrette weekend coordinated by the Archway Partnership. The team examined wayfinding signage and character areas along all major corridors in the county.
Grace Wooten, a UGA student from nearby Schley County, explained the “main goal for the charrette weekend was not only to help people find what they’re looking for; but to help people find what they don’t know is there.”
The charrette team also focused on the City of Plains, in relation to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Executive Director of the Plains Better Hometown described the project as “beneficial – it made me realize that some signage and landmarks don’t work for people unfamiliar with the area.”
UGA CED returned to Americus on May 18, to present their refined design ideas to community and tourism stakeholders. The results include a new community-wide wayfinding signage plan for the City of Americus and municipalities in Sumter County, in partnership with tourism destinations and other transportation resources.
The director of Tourism for the City of Americus Nicole Thurston views the project as “a major step toward putting Sumter County ‘on the map.’ The consistent branding between the communities will help showcase Sumter’s unique identity and create a sense of unity.”