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New signs point to Oxford sights

Lauren Williams, Senior Staff Writer

The Butler County Visitors Bureau will install signs over the next two months to direct community members and visitors to the main attractions in Oxford.

Fifteen signs will be installed in Oxford and a total of approximately 200 will be installed in all the communities of Butler County. The three locations in Oxford that will be highlighted with signs are the Uptown District, the Oxford Community Arts Center and the Oxford Community Park.

Alan Kyger, economic development director for the City of Oxford, presented the Visitor Bureau's plans at the City Council Meeting Oct. 16.

"The goal of the Butler County Visitors Bureau was to create a uniform signage program for the county," Kyger said.

A committee of Butler County community members formed the Wayfinding Program in 2009 to help residents and visitors find important locations around the county. The committee asked each community to name its points of interest for those in and outside its city limits.

"If you're in West Chester, you'll actually know that Oxford exists in Butler County," Kyger said.

All design, fabrication and installation of the signs are funded by the Visitors Bureau.

Mark Hecquet, executive director of the Butler County Visitors Bureau, said the signage program will cost between $600,000 and $800,000.

"This to us is not about signs," Hecquet said. "This is about marketing our county and marketing a lot of our county's assets-year-round, 24/7."

Hecquet said that after conducting research, the Visitors Bureau found that more signs were needed to direct people to attractions, cities and other locations throughout Butler County.

"These signs will draw out some of those destination and attraction points inside the county," Hecquet said.

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As presented by Kyger, each sign in Butler County will have the map labeled with community points on the front, and the Great Miami River on the back.

"All the signs will match in layout and design, which will give that sense of unity within the county," Hecquet said.

Junior Rachel Willis said these signs would be helpful in finding attractions in Oxford.

"Sometimes I really want to do something and I have no idea what's around," Willis said. "Especially for college students, it would be pretty good."

Willis said she would use the signs both in Oxford and in her hometown of West Chester.

"I live in West Chester and have no idea what to do, so if someone pointed it out to me, I'd go there."

Miami University opted out of participating in implementing the Visitors Bureau signage program on its campus.