On Tuesday, South Lake Tahoe City Council members glimpsed signs of a potential South Shore future.

Nancy Kerry, public affairs director for the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, updated the council on a proposed wayfinding project, which aims to add newly designed direction signs around town. The chamber is spearheading the effort to update the area's signs as a way to help tourists navigate recreational facilities, urban areas and public buildings.

Wayfinding proponents also want to use signs to brand different residential areas of the city to engender a sense of community for residents. Thus, neighborhoods such as Bijou, Tahoe Valley and others would have signs to differentiate them from other city locations.

The project is a great idea for tourists and locals, provided there is keen oversight on its cost.

To date, the government entities have committed $130,000 to the project - $88,000 from the city and $42,500 from El Dorado County. Kerry said she has applied for Douglas County grants to continue the project on the Nevada side of South Lake Tahoe. Kerry noted that other California tourist locations, such as Half Moon Bay and Monterey, have similar signage systems.

As currently proposed, the wayfinding project would place 45 new signs around the city at $1,300 per sign to manufacture. That's a hefty sum - one that should be itemized for precise material and work costs before the signs are made.

We suspect that no attractive, effective and durable signs will come cheaply, and officials would be unwise to cut corners on public amenities that serve valuable public purposes.

Despite the potential benefits of the program, though, a decision on who will maintain the signs has not been resolved. Kerry said that issue would be determined before the signs are erected.

Officials intend to test the project's viability by placing a concept sign at an intersection and gauging drivers' reactions. A date for the trial run has not been set.

We'll let you know when it is, and you can judge the sign for yourselves.

For more information on the project, visit www.tahoechamber.org/wayfinding.aspx.