It’s going to be easier for drivers to find their way from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Danville now that signs have been added on U.S. 70 and U.S. 29 pointing the way north to the River City.
“It’s good to see it is finally happening,” Karl Stauber, CEO of the Danville Regional Foundation, said.
The push for those signs came during a day-long economic development summit at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research on Jan. 22, 2014. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine — the keynote speaker at dinner — asked if there were some small things his office could do to help Danville’s efforts to market the city to businesses and investors.
Among the many suggestions was one from Stauber, asking for Kaine’s help convincing Greensboro officials to install signs pointing the way to Danville.
“As you drive around Danville, you see a ton of signs for Greensboro, and even some for Chapel Hill,” Stauber said. “But there was nothing in Greensboro that said ‘Danville.’”
People are also reading…
Stauber said he started looking into what it would take to get some signs installed about four years ago — a project he knew would take some effort.
“Working with departments of transportation is very complicated,” Stauber said.
In 2012, he assigned a group of summer interns to the project. They travelled to Greensboro, talking with engineers and other North Carolina Department of Transportation employees to learn what steps need to be taken to add signs along highways.
Stauber said he has talked to governors in both states, senators and congressman about the issue over the years, and was pleased when Kaine promised it would happen — and even more pleased when he learned the signs had been installed this week.
“It’s not going to transform this region, but it’s a small step forward,” Stauber said, expressing thanks to Kaine. “Installing signs that direct people to Danville is a critical step in helping people and businesses find our community and see everything we have to offer. We appreciate Sen. Kaine’s work to make this happen.”
Mayor Sherman Saunders said he, too, is pleased.
“Kudos and special thanks to Sen. Kaine,” Saunders said.
Saunders said people often travel with enough time to explore new places — but without signs along highways telling them where Danville is, they wouldn’t think to stop and visit.
“We’ve been trying different ways to get Danville’s name out there,” Saunders said. “Anything that gets Danville’s name out there, and shows how to get here, is good for the region.”
Sarah Peck, Kaine’s press secretary, said people from the senator’s office travelled to Greensboro several times to meet with officials who ultimately agreed to erect the signs at no cost to Virginia.
“From now on, anyone driving north from Greensboro won’t be able to miss Danville,” Kaine said in a prepared statement. “After hearing from [Stauber] and others in Danville last year about the impact signs could have on the local economy, I’m happy we were able to work with officials in Greensboro to make this happen.”