The Signs Are Everywhere
September 29, 2025
• Two separate initiatives hope to boost visibility and increase access to underrepresented spots in town.
Needham Heights, from what Paul Good has heard, is “sort of considered the stepchild of the center of town.” But that characterization overlooks the restaurants, shopping and amenities in the neighborhood, he said.
As chair of the Needham Community Revitalization Trust Fund, Good introduced to the Select Board a series of banners to hang around the Heights, both to celebrate aspects of the neighborhood and direct drivers to parking lots that lack appropriate signage.
When people pass through the Heights, Good said he hopes “they have a sense of place.” The banners recognize Avery Square — the Heights Common — and local food, shopping and art. The town’s new logo is also featured prominently.
“I think it’ll add really positive energy to that entire area, between the colors of the banners, what they’re designating, even in the parking lot,” he said at the Wednesday meeting. “[It’ll] lift people’s spirits and make it feel more home-like and more like a place that people recognize.”
Parking signs will go up in the lot off of Highland Avenue, between Mark Lee Road and Hunnewell Street. Member Marianne Cooley called it “the parking lot that nobody knows about,” hence the need for increased visibility. There are currently no signs directing drivers to the lot.
Chair Heidi Frail said she appreciates how the banners highlight art in the neighborhood, calling the nearby Gorse Mill Studios “such a treasure for that neighborhood.” The pansy mural on the side of Trader Joe’s, as well as more temporary art installations, also showcase art in the Heights.
With the board’s approval, the NCRTF will now seek the necessary $3,200 in funding with the goal of installing the banners by November.
The town trails will also receive new signage in an effort to bolster accessibility and use. Conservation Specialist Tim Puopolo, who also serves as trails coordinator, said signage indicating trailways will be installed this spring, pending design approval.
This fall, the Conservation Department plans to put in wooden posts in the Town Forest and Ridge Hill Reservation. The goals are part of a trails master plan, which first seeks to increase community use of those spaces. The end goal, Puopolo said, is to “have a more walkable Needham.”
“Eventually, over the next six years, we hope to bring the trails up to a uniform standard across the entire town, build new trails that will create loops, reduce dead ends and increase those experiences, [add] new trails that connect other properties… and finally implement an ongoing maintenance plan for the future.”
Conservation shared different designs for potential signs with the board last Wednesday. Puopolo said standardizing kiosks and maps will help familiarize trail users with the area and minimize confusion. Conservation Commission Chair Dave Herer said a resident indicated they don’t walk the Town Forest for fear of getting lost.
As trails coordinator, Puopolo is also working to start up a volunteer program that could assist the town with its master plan goals. Director of Conservation Debbie Anderson said a trails advisory group had “fallen to the wayside” years ago.
Frail said residents have inquired about a trails volunteering group over the last few years, which to her signals a desire for people to get involved and preserve the town’s outdoor spaces.
“I have to say, I love the idea of the connection of the trails to the streets with signage so that people know they’re there. Because currently, unless you know where the trail is, you just don’t know,” she said. “So, I love the idea of making that more visible, so that people driving by could see it and spark the idea that Needham has all these great trails, and people should get out there and take a look.”
The board briefly weighed in on design specifics but chose not to designate a member to a subcommittee to oversee the project, citing a busy workload.
