A sign that disappeared as quickly as it went up came back in permanent form Thursday.
WATCH: Marek Tkach reports on the installation of the new Garbage Hill sign
Always a Winnipeg landmark, Westview Park – better known as Garbage Hill – made the news this fall when a mysterious ‘Hollywood’-style sign was erected.
Winnipeggers’ delight over the sign was soon crushed, however, when city workers removed it mere hours after it was erected.
Despite a public outcry of support, including a petition with over a thousand signatures in favour of bringing it back, Garbage Hill remained unadorned.
However, Mayor Brian Bowman said after the sign’s disappearance that he was “with Winnipeggers” who wanted to see to its return, and that is happening Thursday.
No one publicly took credit for the first iteration of the sign.
People at the hill who watched as the sign was being unveiled were happy to see it.
“It’s exciting to see Winnipeg officials embrace what’s become the common term for the park and put the sign up there,” said one onlooker at Thursday’s ceremony.
“It’s funny quirky art stuff like this that makes Winnipeg great so I’m all for it,” said another.
The cost of the sign to city taxpayers is zero dollars – the sign’s costs are being borne by SRS Signs and Service. The city did approve a permit for the sign, said a spokesperson.
Constructed of aluminum composite panels, with white reflective vinyl letter, the sign is 20 feet long.
The park received its unflattering nickname due to its origins as a landfill, which accepted ash and glass materials from the city’s garbage incinerator from 1875 to 1948.
Since its conversion to a park, Garbage Hill has been a popular site for walking, jogging, cycling, tobogganing and more. It also served as the site of an independent music festival, Corefest, for a number of years in the 1990s.
WATCH: Garbage Hill sign taken down