Renfrew welcomes visitors to downtown with new historic sign

There will be no confusion for drivers when they head towards Renfrew’s main commercial core thanks to a new sign informing them they are about to enter one of eastern Ontario’s oldest and most vibrant downtown sectors.

The new sign is located at the intersection of Hall Avenue, Veterans’ Boulevard and Burnstown Road which local residents affectionately refer to as ‘Confusion Corner.' The sign is an extension of the reconstruction of Raglan Avenue South that started five years ago with the goal of providing a unique shopping experience for tourists or those driving through on their way to Algonquin Park.

Jenna McEwan, the town’s communications and marketing coordinator, said it is a project that started a year ago but there were delays in coordinating the design, construction of the sign and timing it around the recent municipal election that led to the placement of the sign on Dec. 15.

“There used to be an older advertising sign in that space, however it was difficult to keep updated and maintained and the town was looking for a way to promote the downtown core and this location proved beneficial for the project,” she said. “It took about a year to get everything into place and we wanted to have it ready before it got too cold and the ground would be too hard for the crews to set it up.”

She said the town is grateful to Farrell’s Landscaping for not only being patient with the delays to get the sign ready, but they are able to erect future signs if the project expands to include additional signage.

“With such a beautiful, historic downtown, we wanted to find a way of greeting people as they entered, and draw attention to the many incredible buildings that are still being used by our downtown businesses,” she added. “If there are more signs in the future they will add to the theme of welcoming residents and visitors to all of Renfrew.”

She said the project stared a year ago with the design phase and approvals. The sign was purchased through funding provided by the province’s Modernization Funding program.