Garden City project highlights businesses and arts

City officials from Garden City have put up nine signs along the Greenbelt to direct attention to local businesses and the arts.

The Garden City Urban Renewal Agency used a grant from COMPASS and money from the Idaho Wine Commission and Riverside Hotel for the signs advertising Garden City’s artisan community along the Greenbelt. The first sign, located on the eastern city limits, maps out 29 breweries, wineries, bakeries, art studios and parks across Garden City. As pedestrians and bicyclists move west along the Greenbelt they pass eight signs that give directions to the previously mapped locations.

The signs were first placed in May, but flooding kept many parts of the Greenbelt closed until recently.

“We’d been looking for ideas to get people into Garden City because we’ve noticed there has been a growing awareness of our artist community and our wineries and our craft breweries,” said Pam Beaumont, chairwoman for Garden City Urban Renewal Agency.

The urban renewal agency printed 4,000 pocket-sized maps of its artisan path and placed them at locations like the Visual Arts Collective and Telaya Wine. One side of the map lists popular parks, art studios and food stops and the other side lists longtime businesses such as the North End Organic Nursery and Cobby’s. After a year, the agency will survey local business owners to see if the project noticeably affected traffic.

The signs along the Greenbelt cost about $10,000 and the 4,000 maps cost about $2,000.

Garden City has already handed most of its maps out and is printing 4,000 more, Beaumont said.