Okanagan Lake, a bear, Ogopogo, nightlights, and visible from the air.听
Those are some attributes of two new welcome-to-sa国际传媒 type signs city councillors would like to see incorporated in the final designs.听
鈥淚 would like to see something in the signature sign that looks at one of two things, Ogopogo, not in a clownish way but a respectful way, or a bear,鈥 Coun. Charlie Hodge told the two city staffers leading the new sign initiative.听
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 have a bear or an Ogopogo, you鈥檙e missing the mark,鈥 Hodge said.听
Coun. Luke Stack said he hoped the final designs would include imagery of Okanagan Lake or at least of water. 鈥淥ne of the reasons I moved here 40 years ago is that I loved the lake,鈥 Stack said.听
Other councillors said it was important the two new signs have a wow factor that captured the citysa国际传媒 spirit with relevant imagery, but declined to provide specific advice on the imagery.听
鈥淥ne thing I won鈥檛 offer is my artistic ability. Thatsa国际传媒 not my gift,鈥 joked Coun. Ron Cannan.听
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to give you any advice,鈥 added Coun. Maxine De Hart.听
One new sign will be placed along Highway 97 North, somewhat further north than where the old Welcome to sa国际传媒 sign stood for many years at Reidsa国际传媒 Corner. A tentative design for that sign has been selected, but more costing and construction feasibility analysis needs to be done, so it won鈥檛 be publicly presented for consideration until later this summer.听
The other sign will consist of the word 鈥榮a国际传媒鈥 spelled out in oversize letters, similar to the signs that have been erected in many other cities around the world in recent years. The signs are usually popular spots for visitors to take selfies, and serve as a form of tourism promotion.听
Beyond the letters, itsa国际传媒 expected that that sign will also have some features unique to sa国际传媒.听
For his part, Coun. Gord Lovegrove suggested the highway sign should be constructed and placed in such a way that it is visible from the air. He said more tourists arrive in sa国际传媒 by planes than by vehicle.听
鈥淲hatsa国际传媒 the one thing you think of when you fly into L.A.? The big Hollywood sign,鈥 Lovegrove said.听
New welcome-to-sa国际传媒 signs may seem like a simple matter but Coun. Mohini Singh noted the citysa国际传媒 last ill-fated attempt in 2020, featuring human-like figures on metal poles, was scrapped as being unsuitable.听
鈥淲e want it to be something that really captures peoplesa国际传媒 imagination, makes them go, 鈥榃ow鈥, 鈥楩abulous鈥,鈥 Singh said.听
Stack said he always regretted not pushing the provincial government to install decorative nighttime lighting on the WR Bennett bridge when it opened in 2008. Such lighting, he said, would have not only served a traffic purpose but provided a dramatic night-time scene that would have become synonymous with sa国际传媒.听
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