Bradford is looking to install new welcoming signs posthaste.
Based on a report from town economic development manager Michael Disano, the municipality's new strategic initiatives committee — which includes all members of council — recommended council approve $300,000 for a gateway feature project and directed staff to begin a request for proposals (RFP), during the committee meeting on Oct. 22.
Those funds were previously approved by council during 2022 budget deliberations as the project was expected to begin that year, but was instead pushed back.
In his report, Disano recommended the project now be completed in three phases, starting with an updated branding strategy, followed by an evaluation and standardization of existing signage. Both were expected to be complete by the first quarter of 2026, before moving on to construction of a new east entrance feature along Bridge Street, as well as the east entrance to the downtown at Holland Street East and Dissette Street.
The construction timeline was intended to coincide with the anticipated Holland Street reconstruction, about which council is expecting a report before the end of this year, but that complexity and timeline didn’t sit well with most councillors.
Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik felt the existing branding is good as is, and the town doesn’t need to “reinvent the wheel.”
“Can we skip the rebranding and just get on with it and get a sign up?” he asked. “We always have to make things more difficult — just do it."
Ward 5 Coun. Peter Ferragine agreed the first two phases are “just a wasted cost,” with Ward 7 Coun. Peter Dykie reminding colleagues “money’s hard to come by.”
Mayor James Leduc also echoed those concerns and said the town already spent “a lot of money” on a branding exercise undertaken in 2007, which should last at least 30 years, and was already supposed to have resulted in a gateway feature.
“I love the branding,” he said.
While not explicitly included as part of the project description in Disano’s report, the town’s 2007 standards for municipal signage were included as an appendix and also contain guidelines for large stone signage along Highway 400 — something the mayor wanted to be included.
Based on travelling the province’s highways, he noticed “everybody’s got a sign, but Bradford.”
However, Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano was apprehensive of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on something without the flexibility to make changes later, and recommended including interchangeable components in case logos or wayfinding need to be updated.
“It’s not good business to just slap something up that costs big dollars that you can no longer go back and revert,” he said, and Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper agreed.
Despite the report explaining Phase 2 would have included upgrading and standardizing signs for town parks and facilities, economic development officer Dean Gillis said the intent was to keep existing signs “as is” with a focus on new signs. He recommended at least bringing in a consultant to present different options and costs for the gateway project, especially for something he anticipates will last 20 to 30 years.
“It’s such a huge branding and marketing piece for the town, I think it needs a very critical look,” Gillis said.
Giordano also emphasized the need to determine what the town wants before going to vendors, suggesting 10 different chefs might make the same meal 10 different ways.
“What are we doing for this look and feel? That’s branding, guys — that costs money,” he said.
However, the mayor insisted staff had everything needed to proceed, and the guidelines left enough room for vendors to recommend different options and features.
“We want to look at different results and see what we get from that RFP,” he said after moving an amendment to limit the project to just the gateway feature. “This is just a guideline ... it’s not set in stone.”
The committee voted unanimously in favour of the amendment, but Ward 1 Coun. Cheraldean Duhaney and Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott were absent.
Recommendations from the strategic initiatives committee are considered for approval at the next regular council meeting.
