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bring them into one of the most picturesque towns in this section of the prov- ince. : A small sign at the junction of 7A and Queen Street announcing ‘Port HISTORIC DOWNTOWN Perry’s Historical District’ (photo at right) is a good start, but a larger sign fur- PORT PERRY ther west is needed to capture the attention of a motorist before they commit - to continuing along 7A Highway. Recently, since the advent of “SmartCentres”, officials have been strug- gling to come up with a plan to slow some of this traffic down and to that end, ‘signage’ has become one of the focal points. SmartCentres earmarked $250,000 four years ago to be used towards downtown promotion and development when it received the ‘go-ahead’ to build at the west end of town, and $25,000 of that was set aside to finance ‘gateway’ signage at the west entrance of Port Perry. Councillors John Hancock and Wilma Wotten have taken on the task of try- ing to get “entrance” or “gateway” signs designed and approved, but they’ve 7 gt learned that the process can be a frustratingly slow, as it is plagued with dif- _to gain attention of the travelling public. ferent rules and regulations from the three governing bodies. “The current signage does not give a good first impression when coming into town”, says Councillor Wotten, explaining that they would like to see some conformity at all entrances. This may be a difficult task, since provincial set backs, colour schemes and sign sizes differ from their regional counterparts. But despite the hurdles before them they are working to come up with a concept and design. This attractive sign sits at the west en- but needs to be much k Thumbs Down I'd like to give a thumbs down to whoever is respon- sible for the current state of disrepair of the “older” Port of town on Simcoe St, (by Canterb; Common). The “Port Perry” part of the sign is missing! I have noticed that a newer sign is in place further north, but can’t we repair the old one or take To that end, they have it down? enlisted the arts classes Kevin Pike at Port Perry High School Port Perry to take part in a design contest. Their hope is that the students will create a number of attractive entrance sign designs, of which one would be selected - and ultimately be constructed by students in their shop classes. That's what lies ahead, but until this takes place, the existing signs One of the newer Durham Region signs should at least be replaced, or preferably repaired. erected at the north and south entrance to By J. Peter Hvidsten Port Perry recently. Focus on Scugog for the Right On = . a We can help you find it, at OUT OF THe Herder Sales| (WA So)-5° th) QUALITY USED CARS Allcertiied & emissions tested LIMITED EDITION RE-PRINT Warranty available Good, reliable vehicles ONLY 100 COPIES $ Owned and Operated by starting from $1900. When they're gone... they're gone forever! 55 Brian Tassell Available in Port Perry at: Uni FOCUS ON SCUGOG - 188 Mary St., 905-985-8585 Port Perry 166 Reach Industrial Park BOOKS GALORE - 175 Perry St. Port Perry 905-985-3885 905-985-0059 182 Northport Road it #8 & #9 FOCUS - MAY 2012 19 05. MAY 64 FINAL FINAL.indd 19 12-04-22 10:25 AM