New signage is popping up all over Bedford, bringing a consistent look to what used to be a hodge-podge of designs and styles of signs from different time periods.

Jennifer Kuzma, business development liaison for Bedford, said the roughly $150,000 project (mostly from grants) is part of an effort to keep Bedford looking “fresh” and “current” in hopes to attract more interest and investment in the city, especially as it competes with other cities.

A sign on Columbus Road welcomes visitors to the historic district in the center of town.
This photo shows the opposite side of the sign above depicting the “The Spirit of ’76’ by Bedford-born artist Archibald Willard from 1875.

The new signs include those that welcome people to Bedford, or gateway signs; signs that direct people to different places within the city, or way-finding signs; and signs that simply mark city areas like parks, buildings and the historic district.

Kuzma said the project has been in the works for a couple of years and was a part of a “wish list” that City Manager Mike Mallis hoped to get completed at some point. She said a few damaged signs prompted the city to start looking into the feasibility a overhaul of all the signs. The broken signs had been hit in accidents, and the city had insurance money to cover those, so officials began to study ways to find the funds to get the other older signs changed, also.

Ellenwood Center’s sign in the front of the building gets a new look.
A new sign on a single post denotes the entrance to the pool parking lot and skate park area.

The city brought in a consulting firm to take a look at the city’s needs including marking traffic patterns and taking surveys. Following that, the city applied for grants from the Cuyahoga County Community Development Supplemental Grant Program and received $50,000 in for both 2019 and 2020 for the project. The Ellet Sign Company of Akron won the bid for creating and installing the signs, and came in at about half of what some of the other companies bid. The city’s portion of the cost for the project is about $30,000, Kuzma said.

A way-finding sign directs cars on Broadway Avenue north of Rockside toward attractions in and around Bedford.
The Talbot Tot Lot sports a brand new marker as well. The older one an be seen in the background. Other parks in town will be receiving similar signs.

She said the project is about 60 percent finished, and all the signs will probably be fully installed by the end of the summer. She said the price that Ellet Signs was able to do the project for has helped speed the process along.

“We would not have gotten done as quickly,” Kuzma said. “It would have taken us years. … We really got a great deal on this.”

The signs are made to last for decades. The sign company poured the concrete foundations, as well as installed the metal bases and poles. The signs themselves are made of a metal fabrication. Some of the signage will also include brick patterns at the bases to match other areas in the city.

Workers from the Ellet Sign Company of Akron prepare a sign to go on its metal post before transferring it to its final destination in the city.
A sign is added to its post at Ellenwood Center.

Kuzma said the way-finding signs can help in pointing people to their destinations as well as invite others to explore a little. One example are the signs on the Broadway Auto Mile inviting people toward the historic district.

“We hope the signage will encourage (people) to look around and find other gems in the town,” she said.

Metal sign bases are waiting to be assembled.
Workers for the Ellet Sign Company not only assembled the signs but also poured new concrete footings

As part of the project, an electric sign, similar to the one in front of the city building, will be placed on Broadway Avenue near the skate park so that residents will be able to drive past and read special announcements as they enter the city.