Sometimes, new isn’t necessarily better. That about sums up feelings about new signage in Pelham. The markers feature gold and white writing on a bright green background if they’re located in a park, and the background is blue if it marks the gateway to a community.
“The old signs were very nice, and the new signs, apparently, will take some getting used to, and you can quote me on that,” Mayor Marvin Junkin said when asked for his thoughts.
Ward 1 Councillor Wayne Olson said of the new signs, “as far as attractiveness goes, they’re not my cup of tea.”
He also thought signs could have been two sided and used as a promotional tool.
“I think we should have taken full advantage of every opportunity to advertise our communities and our businesses,” he said.
Chief Administrative Officer David Cribbs defended the new signs, funding for which was approved in the 2024 capital budget last December, and installed over a few weeks in October.
“I would describe these signs as an attempt at continuity from the past,” he said.
He added that while the signs may be less elaborate than previous signage, they are similar in approach in that they’re engraved, multi-coloured, and made from wood. The design by the manufacturer was created with AODA compliance in mind in consultation with staff from three Town departments – public works, parks, recreation and wellness, as well as communications.
“I will describe them as handsome,” Cribbs said. “The reality is, you put wood signs outdoors that are attractive, they're lovely, and they don't have anywhere near the durability of metal.”
Leah Letford, communications specialist for the Town, said that since 2022 15 signs have been replaced based on funding included in the 2022 budget. Each sign, depending on the letter count, costs between $3,800 and $5,200.
“The program is spread over several years to replace signs that were at the end of their usable lifespan,” Letford said. “The new signs are a wood-carved, cedar sandblasted product with an expected lifespan of 20-plus years”
Four more signs – to be installed at Woodstream and Hurleston parks, the Farmers’ Market, and one of the Steve Bauer Trailheads – are scheduled to be installed before the end of the year.
Additional signs are still scheduled to be completed into 2025, pending council approval of the Park Entry Sign project budget, Letford added.
Olson, meanwhile, said he has been getting emails and phone calls from residents who don’t like the new signs.
“I have had people say to me that what they were afraid was going to happen, is happening,” he said. “The old names are disappearing like Temperanceville, a name that recognizes the efforts of local churches and women who were champions of reform and voting rights for women. These signs are out there to announce who we are and where we live and this where others have lived before us.”
