There seems to have been more than a little confusion as to what the city's plans were last week for the display of locally produced tourism banners created by School District 52 students.
The Daily News in a front page story in Friday's paper outlined how the local students may end up having their artwork bumped from the more prestigious cruise ship dock area and instead moved further down the road towards McBride street and George Hills Way. A decision that would make way for commercially designed banners for the City take their place where the cruise ship visitors congregate.
Needless to say that is a plan that isn't being met with a particularly kind reaction from the local population, who weren't too shy last week in expressing their argument against any shifting of the artwork.
No doubt aware that it's probably not very good optics to be shuffling the citizens work aside during an election year, there appeared to be a change in plans of sorts developing after the Daily News went to press on Friday.
The Northern View website updated the percolating controversy with a story of their, outlining the reaction from the Mayor who sounds like he was doing his best bit of damage control in a while on the issue.
“That is absolutely not the case. The city loves those banners, and I just came from looking at them and they are gorgeous. We very much want them to be part of beautifying our city and we really want to honour the students, parents and teachers who put all of that hard work into them," and with that declaration from the Mayor, the tide seems to have turned back in favour of a more community friendly bit of banner making and display for this tourist season.
We provide both reports below.
STUDENTS FEELING DEFLATED OVER BANNER PROJECT CHANGE
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pages one
There are exactly 88 disappointed Prince Rupert and Port Edward school children who look like they will have to settle for having their artwork on display on McBride Street and George Hills Way this summer, instead of more prominent tourist destinations such as Cow Bay and Third Avenue.
In a meeting with members of the School District Arts and Culture Committee and the Prince Rupert Civic Pride Committee on Wednesday, Mayor Herb Pond announced a change to the Banner Project that local students have already worked on and completed. According to members of the committees, they were told that instead of erecting locally-designed banners on the downtown streets, commercially-designed banners from the City of Prince Rupert would be taking their place.
"What message is Mayor Pond, who claims to be a proponent of Civic Pride, sending to the volunteers, businesses, and organizations that contributed to making the banner project a successful showcase for local talent?" asked Joanna Larson of the Arts and Culture Committee. "More importantly, what message is he sending the young artists who have donated their time and talent to the project?"
Both committees and all 88 students who worked to design and paint the new banners are inviting members of the public to stop by the Lester Centre for the Arts to view the banners; students such as Breanne L'Esperance who was disappointed to hear that her artwork now looks set to be on display in areas other than those previously agreed upon.
"I've worked very hard on my banner and was hoping that visitors coming to Prince Rupert would be able to see the artistic talents of young students," said L'Esperance.
The Banner Project was started three years ago to honor the talents of Prince Rupert's youths and inspire them to take ownership and pride in their city. With financial support from Northern Savings Credit Union, local Rotary Clubs and the Arts Council, Civic Pride was able to purchase the necessary brackets to hang the art work, at a cost of about $10,000.
Mayor Pond was unavailable for comment before press time to explain the decision. See your Daily News next week for more.
Plans for student banners change
By Shaun Thomas
The Northern View
April 18, 2008
There will be more banners hanging throughout Prince Rupert than usual according to Prince Rupert mayor Herb Pond, who denied reports that the banners painted by students in the school district wouldn’t be making their way onto the streets of the city.
“That is absolutely not the case. The city loves those banners, and I just came from looking at them and they are gorgeous. We very much want them to be part of beautifying our city and we really want to honour the students, parents and teachers who put all of that hard work into them,” he said in regards to information provided by the School District Arts and Culture Committee indicating that the banners would not be hung and would be replaced by professionally designed banners.
At Monday’s council meeting, the city outlined plans to put colour coded banners in the downtown core and Cow Bay to match up with the map given to cruise ship passengers, while the students’ banners would be hung along McBride.
“We also want to start a banner program that is part of our way-finding initiative that helps visitors navigate the Cow Bay and downtown area more successfully and try and get people to stay longer and spend more. We have secured some grants to help us with that and we are looking at, right now with all of these different banner, how and where to put the banners to beautify the city, to help people find their way around and to help honour the talent of these artists.”
Charlotte Rowse with Civic Pride noted that, contrary to information provided in a press release regarding the matter, the Prince Rupert Port Authority was in no way involved in the decision or hanging the new banners. She also said that she was upset at how the city just “sprung” the decision on Civic Pride.
“The idea is that we still want 3rd Avenue first for the banners and then we could sure work on putting them on McBride. But 3rd Avenue was what they were made for,” she said, noting that the decision about banners on McBride still rests with the Ministry of Highways.
“The banners were all ready when we got a call from [public works’] Bob Thompson and he showed us a map of where the banners could go, so they must have been planning this for some time without consulting with Civic Pride,” she added, noting that banners from the city were not as colourful or vibrant as the 88 banners created by the students.
The banner project started three years ago to allow young artists to take ownership and pride in the city. Civic Pride has purchased the necessary brackets to hang the student’s banners, with support from Northern Savings Credit Union, Rotary and the Prince Rupert Arts Council,
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