EDMONTON — The city’s ‘Welcome to Edmonton’ signs will remain as they are after council voted against a proposal to modernize the signs.
There were four options on the table to either replace or renew the brown signs, which sit at seven highway locations. The cost of the upgrades ranged from $150,000 to $2.5 million.
The lower end of the scale would have seen the existing signs replaced with an enhanced design, and new planters installed at the base of each sign.
The most expensive option would have seen the signs completely replaced and modernized. This option would have taken upwards of two years to complete.
Councillors also discussed an option that would have seen the type of sign vary depending on location. Signs that see higher traffic volume could have been replaced, while those in lower profile areas could have been upgraded at the lower cost.
In the end, council voted 7-5 in favour of keeping the signs as they are.
“I’m pleased, but I’m also a bit frustrated, disgusted with the whole exercise because I just don’t think it was necessary,” said Ward 3 councillor Dave Loken. “The public, I think they let us know that in a lot of ways… There was no angst, there was no call for it, there was no reason to do it.
“As you know we have our hands full with a number of other things around here that need our attention and this was just a distraction we don’t need.”
The debate came after council voted in the spring to remove the ‘City of Champions’ slogan from the signs.
In October 2013, a number of Edmonton’s welcome signs were vandalized.
The ‘City of Champions’ slogan was covered up on six city signs; ‘Suck it Calgary,’ ‘City of Speed Traps’ and ‘Road Construction City’ were among the new slogans. City crews were called out to clean up the signs.
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