The best kind of dollar for a community to earn is an out-of-town dollar. Visitors spend their money with little burden on local government services.

To cater to visitors and to better capture their dollars, Albert Lea needs better signs.

Simply put, local officials should look into what urban planners call &8220;wayfinding.&8221; This term refers to signage, information centers, natural elements and other cues to help people get around. Bad wayfinding results in frustrated drivers having to ask for directions (and not stopping here again). Good wayfinding means motorists can get where they want to go easily.

Let&8217;s look at examples.

You&8217;ve come to Albert Lea to camp. But when you exit the freeway, there are no signs pointing you to Myre-Big Island State Park.

Or maybe you want to ride a bike on the Blazing Star Trail? There are no signs pointing people to the trailhead in the city. You end up frustrated.

Say you&8217;ve come off southbound Interstate 35&8217;s Exit 12 past the Volvo Trucks dealer and now are headed west on East Main Street. But you wanted to go to that big castle of a truck stop you had stopped at on the northbound leg of your trip. You must have taken the wrong exit, and there are no signs pointing you to the truck stops at Exit 11.

One of the best examples is City Arena. Tucked in a residential neighborhood on the western edge of town, visitors have a hard time finding it. Yet it remains a key reason for visitors to come to Albert Lea.

Plus, every sign serves as publicity for other local attractions. You stop in Albert Lea for gas, but when you look at the directional signs, you get a hint of Fountain Lake recreation. You say to yourself, &8220;Perhaps I&8217;ll have to check that lake out next weekend.&8221;

What about the expense? Keep it simple. It doesn&8217;t take a consultant to figure out where signs should go. Some should go on the freeways, some should go on the ramps, some should be along city streets.

Many locals have met lost out-of-towners, and as a freeway town Albert Lea always will encounter some. But with improved wayfinding the amount of lost visitors can be reduced.