26 May 2025 Council meeting Community

Repainting of Nanaimo Sign at Maffeo Sutton Park

Motion

That Council direct Staff to commission a new design for the letter “O” for the Nanaimo sign at Maffeo Sutton Park through the City’s Urban Design Roster for 2025, and direct Staff to explore the feasibility of establishing an annual public design call for future years.

Minutes, page 10

Sources

Agenda itemCity agenda, whole meeting

Staff reportPage 1

Purpose

To provide Council with options for the ongoing repainting of the Nanaimo sign at Maffeo Sutton Park, with specific consideration for the letter “O”.

Staff report, page 1

Staff recommendation

That Council direct staff to commission a new design for the letter “O” for the Nanaimo sign at Maffeo Sutton Park through the City’s Urban Design Roster for 2025, and direct staff to explore the feasibility of establishing an annual public design call for future years.

Staff report, page 1

DocumentsStaff report about Arts, Culture & Heritage, Parks & Recreation

Ian Thorpe No

Motion. Councilor Thorpe, please. Thank you very much for worship and through you, if I may, I. Think Councilor Armstrong expressed an idea which was in my mind as well when I read the. Staff report. This seems to refer only to options for the letter O. And one option is to repaint it the way it has been up to this point, which I will tell you quite frankly, I would not support. And then it talks about. Options for redesigning the letter. Oh, well, it's a letter O. I think options are pretty limited, but what I would like us to consider. And maybe staff can make further comment on this is what about looking at the entire sign? I think repainting in red and white colors of some motif or as councilor Armstrong suggested, and I've heard this suggested as well. The blue and white wave colors used in our city logo. I think that would be impressive across the entire sign, not just the one letter. So when it says in the report that the letter O is an iconic feature of our city, I don't think I agree with that. I think the sign is iconic, not the letter. By itself. So I just wonder if more thought could be given. To. A larger scale design of this or redesign of this landmark.

Leonard Krog No

If it ain't bus, don't fix it. I appreciate the work of staff and the recommendations consideration, the diversity o which is what it represents. Is important to me. I tell everyone over and over again. This is an except a tolerant, accepting and welcoming community. The only reason this is before us is because we have had with great respect and I won't. Use any other language that is appropriate. Some bloody idiots who choose to deface public property. Obviously, many of us assume, based on ridiculous views held by conspiracy theorists, that somehow this council is controlled by or at allyship with the World Economic Forum. I would regard any change to that. Sign as a concession to the idiots, and I am not prepared to do that under any circumstances. And if I'm the loan vote.

The last full repainting the sign was undertaken in 2023 at a cost of $4,097, which is covered by operating budget. So we put a new design on. I wasn't aware that putting a new design on would be a guarantee against vandals. The point of the sign is it says Nanaimo. Is anyone really going to be able to distinguish between an anonymous sign that's painted blue and white in accordance with the entrance signs. To the city? Is it going to make it more iconic? Is it going to make it cheaper? To maintain. If successful. I note the report says if successful, decals could allow for even more frequent design. Updates. They could also simply allow for cheaper maintenance on the existing. O again. With respect to Councilor Gesselbrock's suggestion, are we going to install security? Cameras down there so that we catch the individual. And are we going to work on the assumption that someone who's stupid enough to vandalize a sign has $10,000. To pay a fine. I doubt very much that's going to be the case. So again. With the greatest respect to council, and you can tell. When I'm not feeling terribly charitable, I say, with the greatest respect, We have an iconic sign. That created controversy. When it was put up, some ratepayers locally complained. Now the city of Vancouver is looking at something between a half a million and a million dollars to put a Vancouver sign up. It is an extremely popular tourist attraction. These kinds of city signs around the world are popular. Nothing says. Deniable more than, with the exception of the bastion, probably. So for what it's worth, I'm not prepared to support any change. I will. Not vote for any motion that sees us change this. If we're going to set up a system as proposed that. It would be artistically renewed, et cetera, put to the local artist, registered, et cetera. Et cetera. That's a process that's going to stake half time. It's. Going to make required decisions every year to look at changing the sign. I mean, if you ever want to bureaucratize. No offense to staff, a system to keep. A sign painted in a public park. What we are talking about is exactly that. And at a time when we've just sent out tax notices and we've got our first cranky. Emails from ratepayers. I am not prepared to spend any more money than is necessary to maintain. But as I said at the start of my remarks, here ain't busted. And it. Doesn't need fixing. All it needs is a coat of paint on the o, not the. Rest of the letters. It doesn't. And if decals work better, then we'll. Go with the decals. And I trust staff to do that, but I'm not prepared. To waste public money responding to vandals who I think we can assume come from a certain source or mindset. In the faint hope that somehow it's not going to get vandalized. As any other public property does from time to time.

Paul Manly Yes

Logo or maybe the World Economic Forum. Like, just go for it. The idea that. This is the sustainable development goals. Or that the sustainable development goals might be a bad thing. It's not the same number. Of color swatches as the sustainable development goals. But. I question. People who are opposed to this idea that. Health care. Affordable food, nutritious food, access to clean water, good jobs. These are all things outlined in the sustainable development goals and to deface a sign because you oppose those things. It's a bit bizarre. I'm fine with whatever we do with, and then I will sign. It's not a hill I'm going to die on. I do find. It appalling, though, that people feel compelled to deface it based on some conspiracy theories. I heard, actually, that we got $5 million in this city from the World Economic Forum and I think if we're going to take a bribe, it should be for more than 2. Km worth of pipe. So I don't know what staff is doing, if that's what we've. Settled for. Thank you.

Janice Perrino Yes

It's interesting. I read this. I wasn't against the option that staff have suggested because, partially because it's under $5,000. And I thought, oh, I like that number. By comparison to what, a whole new sign would cost. Even though I like councilor Thorpe's ideas and councilor Armstrong. Armstrongs, but I just think we need to be cost conscious and this is not an old sign. If it was 15 years, 25 years older, I'd say, okay, it's time for a new sign, but. It's certainly done a lot, so I'd be more in favor of supporting the motion that's on the floor, but I know councilor getsbroke has a motion. To go forward. So for me, it's about cost.

Sheryl Armstrong No

Councilor Armstrong. That's exactly why I'm opposed to the motion is because of. Cost, because every year you're going to have to spend $5,000 to keep changing it. Maybe more if the paint doesn't come through. I just think this is an opportunity to brand our city. And. It's non conflict, like everybody. Nobody I hear is against it. If we start getting different. Designs, we could end up right back to where we are again that somebody doesn't like. It, and it's back to changing, fixing, all that kind of stuff. The other option that came up that got a lot of votes to you that I should mention was put in. In. The canadian flag or the canadian maple leaf was another option that. People were in favor of, but we're always trying to look at marketing ourselves, so why? Wouldn't we do that? It's free marketing, and it's our symbol, so that's just my point.

Ben Geselbracht Yes

Councilor Gesselbrock. I'd like to move the recommended motion. Discussion on this, so just to speak to it. I actually would like to. I think integrating different ideas is important, and I think councilor Thorpe had a great idea. I think even what the mayor brought forward about. If we repaint this, we're kind of letting some vandalism happen in our city and then pivoting because of that, and I don't think that's cool either. What I do think is cool is supporting our local artists to come out with the design and put it out there, and I think that's great advertising of the city. It's like we're behind our local artists and we're a creative city and. We're going to display that proudly. Doing the hole in the nine with sign. I think that would be great. And I think that we do have to be cognizant of costs. Costs are getting higher, and we probably want to start small and build on success. And to the mayor's point about. Sort of enabling a vandal. My thought is maybe we first do the o with a local artist, and then we set up some system that the next person that tries to analyze a sign will know exactly who it is. And it'll be a $10,000 fine, and that's going to get us the money that we can do the whole nanaimo sign, and that's how it will work, so. We'll have. The sign refresh repainted through the cost recovered from the vandalism. And so every time somebody decides, like, oh, I don't like this because of some conspiracy theory or whatever reason, and they decide to vindal it. Great. Thank you for $10,000 because that's what it's going to cost you to vandalize the sign and you've now enabled a new artist to. Put forward a design for the sign, and we're being a creative. Problem solution focused city, and that is what I want to express to the broader world. Thank you.

Erin Hemmens Yes

Heavens. Thank you, worship. I'm happy to support, I appreciate. His staff bringing this forward. I think it's a really nice way to tie in a program that already exists. I find the cost of $5,000 quite low.

Questions and answers

Councillor Sheryl Armstrong
No

asked

Very much, Councilor Armstrong. Thank you. This obviously was on Facebook a lot, and I monitor that. And there was a lot of people that really would like us to use the waves that we see already in our reports up there. Which is really our symbol. Has there been any looking at doing that? First of all, be a lot cheaper. We wouldn't have to go through people vandalizing it because it's accepted, and it's also a good way to brand our city because we keep changing things, we keep changing our branding. So I was just wondering if there was if we looked at that option. Through the

City staff answered

chair. We hadn't looked at any particular option here. We thought this would be a good opportunity to bring this forward to council, knowing the importance of this sign and