The installation of a controversial sign welcoming visitors to Ladner Village in a new public plaza earlier this year was an example of a process that didn’t go as it should have, but lessons have been learned.
That’s according to a report to council regarding the sign when it was erected as part of the Stokes and Cullis Plaza project at the corner of Elliott Street and 47A Avenue.
A concept photo of the proposed plaza layout that had been made available to the public showed a space for “iconic signage with lighting” but not an image of what the beacon signage would look like. When the blue sign, which is now lit at night, was installed in January, it seemed to catch many residents off guard and drew a lot of mostly negative comments on social media.
Mayor George Harvie then announced he asked new city manager Donny van Dyk to conduct a review of the project’s scope and public engagement.
Discussed at council on Monday, the report outlined the timeline and, while not rendering an opinion on the sign, design, colour or its reflection on Ladner Village, offered a rather scathing assessment of the process that unfolded.
Harvie read the report’s findings, which notes the project did not have a clear objective and vision.
“The City of Delta was not in a position to mobilize a branding and wayfinding strategy for the entrance to Ladner Village when the opportunity to obtain a SRW for a portion of the land at the corner of Elliott Street and 47A Avenue presented itself. As such, the plaza and Ladner Village beacon sign lacked a clear objective and vision,” the report concludes.
The project should have been reported to council in a regular report. The Lander Village Renewal Advisory Committee and business stakeholders were consulted about the plaza, but they were not given an opportunity to provide feedback on the final sign design, the report also notes.
What’s more, the cost entire plaza project had ballooned from it’s originally estimated $200,000 budget to over $650,000, said Harvie, who also read a statement regarding his authority as mayor, referencing the Community Charter as well as council’s recent vote on the sign.
Following the council meeting, Harvie told the Optimist that part of the problem was that decisions were made behind closed-doors, including council’s recent in-camera vote to keep the controversial sign.
Saying he does not dispute council’s discretion to vote in a closed-door meeting, he notes everything should be transparent, including the fact that both he and Coun. Jessie Dosanjh voted for the sign’s removal. Harvie said that the public should know who voted to keep the sign and who voted to have it removed.
He added that signage is part of an overall series of planned upcoming Ladner Village and waterfront revitalization initiatives, thus, new signage should have been considered at that time.
During council’s debate on Monday, Coun. Dylan Kruger put forward motion for another vote, saying it was based on additional information, but the vote turned out having the same result with Harvie and Dosanjh voting against keeping the sign, while Kruger and councillors Rod Binder and Daniel Boisvert voted for it to remain. Coun. Jennifer Johal was not in attendance and Coun. Alicia Guichon is currently on leave.
Kruger told the Optimist that, moving forward, he is excited that council has now voted to move ahead with a staff recommendation for a “robust” public engagement campaign on branding for Ladner Village.
“Successive councils have tried and failed to revitalize Ladner Village over the last 30 years. Our Ladner waterfront should be the jewel of our community. Instead, today it is dominated by boarded up buildings, chain link fences, and broken glass. Ladner deserves better,” said Kruger.
Working together with the community and local business owners, the city has an opportunity to make real progress towards renewal, Kruger added.
