By Spencer Hall, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
At its October 10th meeting, Valemount council decided to go with a single pylon design for the Village’s new entry sign to remain within the project’s $200K budget.
Previously, at its Sept. 13th meeting, council had instructed staff to engage further with Image Sign & Lighting to adjust the archway design in order to improve pedestrian and traffic sightlines.
However, in a document from the company dated October 3rd, the company reminded council the $161.2K quoted in its proposal was for the “pylon” designs and not for the archway, which was shown as an option.
Image Sign & Lighting said a design similar to the current sign would likely exceed the project’s $200K budget.
“Unfortunately, until we have a specific design, we cannot provide pricing for this option,” the company said, adding the cost to create and finalize a new design package would cost over $4,500.
At the meeting, Pearson said he’d like to see what the pylon sign would look like with enhanced visibility for traffic.
“I’m willing to compromise and take away our scenic arch the tourists love but I just need to see what it’s going to look like for traffic flow,” Pearson said.
Mulyk said it was difficult to envision how the sign would look based on the concept drawings, suggesting images with a different background would provide a better visual, to which Pearson agreed.
Council directed staff to set up a meeting with the proponent so the company could present their concept and moved towards a single pylon design (on only one side of the street) on the southeast corner of 5th Avenue to mitigate traffic visibility concerns.
