Ask any local resident and you’ll hear that it’s pretty common to be asked for directions to various spots during our busy summer season. There's lots to see and do across the Boothbay peninsula but signage and directions to popular visitor sites and local attractions are often confusing or hard to find.

The Joint Economic Development Committee (JEDC) recently kicked off a new regional wayfinding project to help address this issue. Helping people get oriented to their surroundings and navigating from place to place is called “wayfinding” and it requires much more than signs. Traditional signage is just one component of how people orient themselves and navigate new environments in this digital age. Visitors to our region use an array of tools such as web information, QR codes, mobile apps, and other technologies to help them locate places to sightsee, dine and stay.

Drawing on information gathered from local business interviews, community input and tourist feedback, the JEDC determined that developing better wayfinding across the peninsula is a key element of promoting economic development by providing a better visitor experience.

To assist the committee in developing a comprehensive wayfinding strategy, the JEDC solicited competitive proposals and selected Gamble Design of Portsmouth, New Hampshire to guide the regional wayfinding project for the entire Boothbay peninsula. Gamble Design is a nationally recognized design firm with special expertise in wayfinding. This firm recently developed an extensive, comprehensive wayfinding strategy for Bar Harbor.

The JEDC’s new regional wayfinding process focuses on making the Boothbay peninsula much more user-friendly so visitors can enjoy all the amenities and beautiful places that our peninsula offers. In Phase 1 of this project, the JEDC and Gamble Design will be reaching out to businesses, residents and visitors to solicit feedback about what the Boothbay peninsula is doing well and where improvements are needed. This information gathering and an inventory of local resources will help guide the development of some general design concepts to guide the next Phase of our regional approach to wayfinding.

Funding for this first phase of wayfinding has been provided by a $3,000 ASK grant from the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission as well as funding from the JEDC that has been allocated by the towns of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. Questions about the wayfinding process should be directed to Wendy Wolf, co-chair of the JEDC.